1Pilot
Emma Swan knows how to take care of herself. But when Henry -- the son she gave up years ago -- finds her, everything changes. Henry believes that Emma actually comes from an alternate world and is Snow White and Prince Charming's missing daughter. Not believing a word of Henry's story, Emma brings him back to Storybrooke, but finds herself drawn to this unusual boy and his strange New England town. Concerned for him, she decides to stay for a while, but soon comes to suspect that Storybrooke is more than it seems. It's a place where magic has been forgotten, but is still powerfully close...where fairytale characters are alive, even though they don't remember who they once were, and where the Evil Queen, known as Regina, is now Henry's foster mother.
2The Thing You Love Most
Regina does everything in her power to force Emma out of Storybrooke and out of her and Henry's lives forever. Meanwhile, the chilling circumstances of how the Evil Queen released the curse upon the fairytale world is revealed.
3Snow Falls
At Henry's urging, Emma convinces Mary Margaret to pay a visit to a comatose John Doe in the hospital and to read to him from the storybook. But Mary Margaret is stunned at the outcome of her visit. Meanwhile, back in the fairytale world, Prince Charming meets Snow White for the first time in a most unexpected way.
4The Price of Gold
Emma tries to help a young pregnant woman escape from the clutches of Mr. Gold. Meanwhile, back in the fairytale world that was, Cinderella makes a regrettable deal with Rumplestiltskin.
5That Still Small Voice
As Sheriff Graham deputizes Emma, the ground shakes and a giant sinkhole mysteriously appears at the edge of town. But a curious Henry's life is placed in danger when he decides to explore the innards of the sinkhole to see if its contents can link the inhabitants of Storybrooke to the fairytale world. Meanwhile, back in the fairytale world, Jiminy Cricket yearns to leave the family business and transform into the person he wants to be.
6The Shepherd
David - aka John Doe - must choose between staying with Kathryn or leaving her to be with Mary Margaret, with whom he's fallen deeply, and inexplicably, in love; and Emma catches Sheriff Graham in a lie. Meanwhile, back in the fairytale world that was, Prince Charming is about to encounter a life-changing event that will forever alter his destiny.
7The Heart is a Lonely Hunter
One of the town's residents begins to remember their fairytale past, and Storybrooke mourns the loss of one of their own. Meanwhile, in the fairytale world that was, the Evil Queen attempts to find a heartless assassin to murder Snow White.
8Desperate Souls
Regina and Mr. Gold play dirty politics and take opposite sides when Emma runs for a coveted Storybrooke public office against Sidney. Meanwhile, back in the fairytale world that was, Rumplestiltskin tries to track down the ultimate power source in order to help his son avert the horrors of a meaningless war.
9True North
Feeling their pain from having lived through the same experience, Emma desperately tries to help two homeless children find their birth father before they're separated and put into the foster care system. Meanwhile, back in the fairytale world that was, the Evil Queen coerces Hansel and Gretel into stealing an important artifact from a blind witch.
107:15 A.M.
Mary Margaret and David continue to grapple with their unrequited love, and Emma and Regina grow suspicious over a mysterious new stranger in town. Meanwhile, in the fairytale land that was, Snow White yearns to ease her breaking heart as Prince Charming's wedding to King Midas's daughter approaches.
11Fruit of the Poisonous Tree
A dejected Sidney enlists the aid of Emma to help uncover evidence that could expose Mayor Regina as the corrupt person she really is to the townspeople of Storybrooke; and Mary Margaret and David continue their secret rendezvous while trying to figure out a way to unleash their unrequited love. Meanwhile, back in the fairytale land that was, King Leopold, who is the father of Snow White and married to the Evil Queen, stumbles upon a magic lamp and is granted three wishes by a Genie - who warns the king to be careful what he wishes for.
12Skin Deep
After Mr. Gold's house is robbed, Emma keeps a close eye on him when it looks like he wants to track down the criminal and dole out some vigilante justice as payback, and Valentine's Day finds Mary Margaret, Ruby and Ashley having a girls' night out. Meanwhile, in the fairytale land that was, Belle agrees to a fateful deal to give up her freedom in order to save her town from the horrors of the Ogre war.
13What Happened to Frederick
With their love for each other growing stronger, David finally agrees to tell Kathryn about his relationship with Mary Margaret and put an end to his loveless marriage. Meanwhile, in the fairytale land that was, while runaway groom Prince Charming searches for Snow White, he agrees to aid Abigail on a dangerous mission to recover something precious that was lost to her.
14Dreamy
Mary Margaret teams up with Leroy, Storybrooke's resident trouble maker, to help him sell candles during the Miner's Day Festival. Emma investigates Kathryn's sudden disapperance. Meanwhile, in the fairy-tale land that was, the Seven Dwarfs is made known as well as Grumpy's romance with the beautiful yet clumsy fairy Nova.
15Red-Handed
Emma takes on a depressed Ruby as her assistant, in the hopes it will show her the good things in life. David is questioned about Kathryn's disapperance (and possible murder). The backstory of Red Riding Hood is revealed as well as her yearning to run away with her true love and her village's virtual imprisonments when a bloody thirsty wolf begins a unyeilding killing spree.
16Heart of Darkness
Mary Margaret hires Mr. Gold as her attorney when Emma is forced to arrest her for the suspected murder of David's wife, Kathryn. Meanwhile, back in the fairytale land that was, Prince Charming sets out to stop a determined and unhinged Snow White, whose memory is still clouded by Rumplestiltskin's potion, from assassinating the Evil Queen.
17Hat Trick
Mary Margaret's jail cell is empty and we see her running through the woods.
Henry's book is open to the story of "Alice in Wonderland," and he looks a bit confused. Emma finds Henry sitting in the sheriff's office and he says he wants to congratulate Emma on the genius plan -- the escape plan. Emma and Mr. Gold are surprised to see Mary Margaret is missing. Emma knows she needs to find Mary Margaret before her 8 a.m. arraignment. Mr. Gold warns Emma that Mary Margaret's future is in jeopardy and if Emma is caught helping her, her own future is jeopardized, as well. She doesn't care.
Emma is driving in a dense fog and nearly hits a pedestrian near the woods. She stops to make sure he's OK, and he's limping after taking a fall to avoid getting hit. She insists on driving him somewhere. He introduces himself as Jefferson, and gets in the car.
In Fairy Tale Land, we see this same man running away in the woods. But his daughter Grace soon finds him. They're playing hide-and-seek before looking for mushrooms to sell at the market. They get home and find the Queen and her carriage waiting outside their house. The man tells his daughter to sit tight while he goes to find out what's happening. She runs into the woods while he goes toward the house.
Inside, the Queen (looking every bit "Queen"-like) is waiting and she calls him Jefferson. He calls her Regina. This is weird. She says she has a job for him. He doesn't want his daughter to lose her father, having already lost her mother. Regina/The Queen insists that if he does this one last favor for her, she can get him and his daughter the life they've always wanted. She says she needs his skills to get her somewhere. She hands him a slip of paper and he asks what she could possibly want there. She says something of hers was taken and found its way over there, and she wants it back. He tells her to find someone else to get it. She claims she understands, and adds, "there's nothing more important than family."
In Storybrooke, Emma drives Jefferson to a huge house. She thinks he must have a huge family, but he says it's just him. She goes inside with him. He gives her some tea and shows her a map of the town he's been working on. Soon after drinking the tea, she begins to feel dizzy. She notices as she's staggering onto the couch that his limp is gone. He says, "Oh, I guess you caught me."
"Who are you?" she asks, just before losing consciousness.
In Fairy Tale Land, we see Grace and her father at the market. She finds a stuffed rabbit and asks her father to buy it. He's just short of enough money and the seller refuses to take what he has. Grace kindly tells her father she doesn't need it, and he walks away frustrated. We see that the seller was really the Queen in an old woman's disguise.
In Storybrooke, Emma wakes up bound and gagged. She smashes the tea cup to use the broken pieces in order to cut herself free. She finds a telescope at the window pointed directly at the sheriff's office, and is puzzled to see that the door to her office is open. She follows noises of a blade being sharpened and opens a door to see Jefferson sharpening a pair of scissors.
In Fairy Tale Land, we see Jefferson using scissors to finish making a makeshift rabbit for his daughter. She thanks him and continues her tea party with her stuffed animals. Jefferson tells his daughter he's going to be gone for the rest of the day and is sending her to the neighbor's house. She asks him not to do whatever the Queen wanted him to do. He says she wants her to have what she needs, but she says all she wants is him. She makes him promise he'll come back for their tea party and he says he wouldn't miss it for the world. She goes.
After Grace leaves, Jefferson opens a chest and pulls out a leather case and places it in the middle of the floor.
In Storybrooke, Emma sneaks down the hall and after a wooden plank in the floor squeaks, she sneaks into the next door she sees. In that room, she finds Mary Margaret bound to a chair and gagged, crying.
Emma frees her and Mary Margaret tells her a man grabbed her in the woods and brought her there. She also tells Emma she found a key under the pillow in her cell. She doesn't know who put it there, and neither does Emma. But they both want to know. Emma sneaks them out of the room, but Jefferson finds them. He knows that Emma doesn't want anyone to find out what she's up to, and he forces Emma to tie Mary Margaret back up. She does, and Jefferson tells Emma he now needs her to do something.
In Fairy Tale Land, Jefferson pays a visit to the Queen. He's holding the box. He asks for a guarantee that if he does what she wants his daughter will want for nothing. The Queen tells him he has her word. He pulls a hat out of the box, puts it on the floor and spins it. A purple cloud swirls around it and it forms a cyclone in the middle of the room. Jefferson and the Queen jump into the middle of it together.
Jefferson takes Emma into a room full of hats on shelves. He says he's trying to save Mary Margaret's life, and he mentions the curse keeping everyone in Storybrooke -- except Emma. She asks if he's been reading Henry's book, and he mocks her for ignoring the stories in it. He says that if she knew what he knows, she wouldn't ignore them. She asks him why he's been spying on her, and he says that for the last 28 years he's been stuck in the house day after day until she came into town and the clock ticked and things started to change.
"I know what you refuse to acknowledge," he tells her. She's special, and brought "magic" to Storybrooke. She tells him he's insane. He tells her she's probably the one who's insane because she refuses to see what's in front of her. He tells her he wants her "to get it to work." He sits her down and faces her toward his hat.
In Fairy Tale Land, the Queen and Jefferson are at "the entrance." He tells her they have to stick together because the same amount of people that go in must come out. They step into Wonderland. Jefferson says he hates it.
In Storybrooke, Jefferson tells Emma to make a hat. She pieces together the hat, the tea and the insane behavior. She knows he thinks he's the Mad Hatter. He says his name is Jefferson. She tells him the stories aren't real. He tells her that her world is no more real than his. He tells her there are "infinite more" worlds out there. All of them have their own rules -- some have magic, some don't. And some need magic, "like this one -- and that's where you come in." He tells her she and Mary Margaret aren't going anywhere until Emma makes his hat and gets it to work.
"And then what?" she asks.
"Then I can go home," he says.
In Fairy Tale Land, Jefferson and the Queen get to a series of arches at the beginning of the land belonging to the Queen of Hearts. The Queen pressures him to move forward. She gets to a vault with a wall full of boxes. She takes one but some knights catch them as they try to make their escape. They get close to the looking glass, which is their escape route, but the Queen stops and breaks off a piece of a mushroom. She opens the box and puts the piece inside the box. A massive purple cloud emerges and her father emerges.
The Queen explains that the Queen of Hearts has always considered her a threat, so she wanted leverage -- and so she took the Queen's father. The Queen is now taking him back. Jefferson realizes he'll be stuck there if the Queen leaves with her father -- because only the same number of people who came in are allowed to go out. The Queen reminds Jefferson that one should never abandon family. Jefferson is distraught, realizing he won't return to his daughter. The Queen tells him that if he really cared for his daughter he wouldn't have left her in the first place.
The Queen and her father leave, and knights come to take Jefferson back to the Queen of Hearts.
The Queen of Hearts, giving questions through a knight, wants to know how Jefferson got to Wonderland. He says with his hat.
"Off with his head," she orders, and a knight slices Jefferson's head clean off -- but he's surprised to still be alive and talking, while a knight is holding his head up the hair. The knight tells Jefferson that since Regina took his hat, he should make another one that works.
In Storybrooke, Emma is trying to do just that. Jefferson tells her that -- like everyone else there -- what he loves most has been ripped from him. He asks her to take a look through another telescope. It's pointed at another house where his daughter is living as Paige with another family. Emma asks why he doesn't say something to her, and he says he doesn't want to inflict his curse on his daughter -- the curse of knowledge of their real life.
Emma starts to cry and tells him she knows what it's like to be separated from his kid. She says it can make you feel like you're losing your mind. He says it's real, and Emma agrees that maybe it is. He asks if she believes.
"If what you're saying is true, that woman in the other room is my mother," she says, adding that she wants more than anything to believe that's true. She agrees that maybe she needs to open her mind up to magic.
He lets his guard down after she says she'll try to get his hat to work. Jefferson turns back and she uses the telescope to take a swing and knock him out. She runs to free Mary Margaret, but Jefferson catches up and a scuffle ensues. At one point, we and Emma catch a long look at the scar on Jefferson's neck from when the knight sliced it off. He finally grabs his gun and has a clean shot at Emma, but Mary Margaret hits him from behind with a croquet mallet, and kicks him through a window, from which he falls several floors to the ground.
Emma is stunned and they look out the window to find only the hat on the ground, with no trace of Jefferson.
Outside, Emma and Mary Margaret see no sign of Jefferson. Mary Margaret also has no idea where her sudden close-combat skills came from. Emma finds her car covered with a tarp, and the keys are on the driver's seat. Emma gives the keys to Mary Margaret, telling her she has the choice of whether to run or face the charges against her and trust Emma that things will turn out well. Emma asks Mary Margaret if she'd rather face this together than alone, and Mary Margaret gives back the keys.
The church bells ring and Emma remembers the 8 a.m. arraignment. We next see Regina pulling up to the Sheriff's office and Emma's yellow car isn't in the Sheriff's spot. Regina looks quite pleased as she walks in, but she's stunned inside when she sees Mary Margaret sitting in her cell reading a newspaper. Mr. Gold tells Regina that his client is not having any visitors.
Regina walks out and Mr. Gold follows. In the hallway, Mr. Gold explains to Regina that Mary Margaret "came back."
"You said this would work," Regina says. "That she'd take the key, that she'd go."
Mr. Gold says she did, "but it seems that Ms. Swan is rather more resourceful than we thought."
He tells Regina not to worry, because Mary Margaret is still guilty of murder. "You may yet get what you want," he says.
Regina tells him the only reason she made a deal with him is because she wanted results. He assures her she'll have them, adding, "See you at the arraignment." She leaves.
Emma finds Henry at school and tells him she found Mary Margaret and she's OK, "other than being on trial for murder." Paige comes by and says hi. As she walks away, Emma asks Henry for his story book. She's curious about something.
She flips through the pages and sees the pictures of Jefferson with his daughter Grace, and his hat, and the slice on his neck.
We see a flash of Jefferson, surrounded by hats he has made, going insane trying to make a hat that works.
Henry goes back into school and Emma asks if she can keep the book for a while. Henry lets her hang onto it, and runs inside. Emma looks more closely at the book.
18The Stable Boy
Regina examines a ring and Mr. Gold catches her, asking, "Remembrance of things past?"
We see that this meeting happened a week earlier, with Mr. Gold asking Regina for a favor in exchange for help with (her) Mary Margaret problem. It was Mr. Gold's suggestion to stage Kathryn's death and frame Mary Margaret for the murder. The plan included leaving a key to the jail cell for Mary Margaret to use for her escape, and, as Mr. Gold says, "We all know what happens when people try to leave Storybrooke."
In Fairy Tale Land, we see a younger version of Regina earning praise from her father for riding her horse. Her mother disapproves, though, saying the girl is becoming an "old maid." Regina asks her mother why she always has to criticize her, but her mother says she's trying to help. When Regina tries to walk away, her mother casts a spell to suspend her in the air until she promises to "be good."
Regina runs away to the stable and meets with Daniel, the stable boy, and they kiss.
It's today again in Storybrooke and David is concerned for Mary Margaret, asking Emma about the situation. He still doesn't think Mary Margaret is guilty. Emma tells him Mary Margaret doesn't want visitors. When David asks what Mary Margaret needs, Emma says, "A miracle."
Mary Margaret wakes up startled in her jail cell, and Regina is watching her. Regina offers Mary Margaret the chance to confess and spare the town and herself a trial. Mary Margaret asks Regina what she ever did to her to make her hate her so much.
Back in Fairy Tale Land, Regina meets up with Daniel but can't stay long. Regina tells Daniel she can't be with him because of her mother, who thinks one's trajectory should always move upward. Regina sees a girl on the back of a horse that's out of control. The girl is screaming for help and Regina gets on her horse to chase the wild one down. She pulls the young girl to safety and when the girl says she'll never ride a horse again, Regina gives her a pep talk. The young girl then introduces herself as Snow White. They hug.
Mr. Gold wants Mary Margaret to kiss up to the District Attorney. Sidney interrupts, bringing a vase of flowers to Emma's office and reporting that he hasn't been able to find anything, but he vows he wont stop until he does find something. When Emma comes back to Mary Margaret and Mr. Gold, Mary Margaret has decided she will talk to the D.A. The D.A. walks in, introducing himself as Mr. Spencer -- it's King James from Fairy Tale Land.
Mr. Spencer grills Mary Margaret until she finally says, "Yes, of course I wanted her gone. She was the only thing keeping us apart, so, yeah, I wanted her gone -- is that what you wanted to hear?"
In Fairy Tale Land, Regina has her horse-riding clothes out when her mother casts a spell to change her into a gown. The king -- Snow White's father -- is visiting. He's there to thank Regina for saving his daughter's life. The king explains that Snow's mother passed away years ago. He says he's scoured the land for a wife and has yet to find a woman with an interest in his daughter until now. He proposes and Regina's mother says, "Yes."
Regina flees and finds Daniel and asks him to marry her. She tearfully explains to him the king's proposal and her mother's acceptance, and says the only way out is to run. Daniel slips a ring on Regina's finger and they kiss. But Snow White catches them kissing. She asks Regina what she's doing with the stable boy, but before Regina explains, Snow White runs away.
Regina chases down Snow and explains to her that while the king is a kind man, she doesn't love him. Regina tells young Snow that love is a kind of magic that creates happiness. After hearing this, Snow insists that Regina must marry the stable boy if thats who she really loves. Snow wants to tell the king the good news, but Regina tells her no one can know. She asks Snow to keep it a secret. Snow says she thinks she can. She promises, especially, never to tell Regina's mother.
In Storybrooke, August finds Emma reading Henry's book, but she says she's grasping at straws. August suggests Emma re-examine what shes already done to see if her perspective changes. Emma gets up to go to the scene of the crime, but August insists on coming with her.
Near the bridge, Emma finds a shard of a shovel that she thinks might fill in the missing piece to explain who really buried Kathryn's heart.
Henry helps Emma and August break into Regina's house by giving them a heads up over the walkie-talkie when Regina goes to take a shower. Emma and August look in the garage through Regina's tools and find the shovel with a missing piece that matches the shard Emma found exactly.
Snow and Regina's mother talk in Fairy Tale Land and Regina's mother asks Snow why Regina pulled away from her. She says she loves Regina so much but Regina doesn't let her help. Regina's mother says she'd do anything to show Regina her happiness is all that matters. Snow weighs this and then tells Regina's mother not to let Regina get married to the king because she really loves someone else.
In Storybrooke,Emma shows up at Regina's house with a search warrant and asks her to open the garage. Emma strides into the garage and sees a perfectly unbroken shovel. Emma asks Regina where the shovel went, and how she knew Emma was coming. Regina tells Emma that Mary Margaret is going to pay for what she's done.
Emma goes to August's house because she thinks he told Regina about the shovel, but he swears he didn't. Emma doesn't entirely believe him.
Regina visits Mary Margaret in her jail cell and rubs in how much she's looking forward to the trial. Mary Margaret gets upset and cries and begs Regina to forgive her for whatever she did to make her so angry at her. She cries, "I don't deserve this, I didn't do it." Regina replies, "I know, but you do deserve this."
In Fairy Tale Land, Regina's mother stops Regina and Daniel's escape, and casts a spell on them to lock them in the stable. Regina asks her mother to listen to her, and says she wants to be with Daniel. Her mother doesn't want her to be the wife of a stable boy. Regina vows that her mother's magic cant keep her apart from Daniel. Regina tells her mother she'll have to keep them there in the stable forever to stop them from escaping.
Regina's mother acts as if she's OK with it, and says, "Who am I to stop you?" Regina hugs her mother and Regina's mother pulls Daniel aside and compassionately offers him advice about a parent always doing whats best for their child. Daniel agrees and says thats what she's doing for Regina. Regina's mother agrees and promptly rips Daniel's heart out of his chest, and turns it into ash. Regina is stunned and cries over Daniels body while her mother tells her that this is her "happy ending."
"Love is weakness, Regina," her mother says. She adds that pure power endures and says that once she has real power she won't have to rely on anyone to get what she wants. Her mother tells her to wipe away her tears because she's going to be Queen.
Snow sees Regina in her wedding dress and says she looks beautiful. Snow thinks Regina is about to marry Daniel because her mother would do anything for Regina's happiness, and when Regina realizes this she's speechless and nearly falls over. She pulls Snow aside and asks if Snow told her mother about Regina and Daniel. Snow apologizes for breaking the promise and says, "I just didnt want you to lose your mother the way I lost mine."
Regina suddenly shifts from sadness to wild-eyed vengeance. She tells Snow that what she had with Daniel was infatuation and he has gone away. She's going to marry Snow's father and be Snow's stepmother, and she's going to be so happy. Regina's mother tells Regina she's proud of how she's already adjusting, and Regina winds up asking her mother if the horse with Snow on it went wild on its own. Her mother claims to know nothing about it. Regina walks away and says, "I should've let her die on that horse."
In Storybrooke, Regina clutches her ring and says, "We got her, Daniel. We got her." Mary Margaret is escorted from her jail cell. Emma confronts Mr. Gold about how he swore he could defend Mary Margaret. He insists there's still time for her to work some magic. Emma goes into her office, grabs a vase and hurls it at the wall in anger. In the pieces, she finds what looks to be a bug.
Emma goes to August to apologize for doubting him. She shows him the bug, which was from Sidney, who'd delivered the vase days earlier.
They hear a scream from behind the diner and run back to find Ruby, in shock, saying, "She's in the alley."
Emma goes back behind the diner and sees a body on the ground. She turns it over and it's Kathryn -- alive.
19The Return
August wakes up with a twitching leg so bad it pulls him out of bed. He calls someone. "This is taking too long, we need to accelerate the plan," he says.
Cut to him meeting with Henry for something with Operation Cobra. Henry goes into Mr. Gold's shop, saying he wants to get Mary Margaret a congratulations-on-not-being-a-murderer gift. With Gold distracted, August creeps in the back door and heads for the back. Gold finds him and August says he's looking for maps.
Emma visits Kathryn in the hospital. She remembers being in a car accident and waking up in a basement with food and water. Dr. Whale says she was drugged. She remembers waking up a field and going into town. Emma thinks someone was trying to frame Mary Margaret. They're looking into who faked the DNA results. Kathryn can't fathom who would do such a thing.
Regina accuses Gold of breaking their deal. He assures her he's broken one deal in his life and it wasn't this one."Kathryn was supposed to die and Mary Margaret was to get the blame!" Regina says.
Gold thinks murder seems so much worse here. Gold reminds her Regina didn't say "kill her", she said "something tragic" and abduction qualifies. He ends the argument with a please.
Regina realizes there will be questions about the fake DNA test results and key in her cell. She doesn't understand why he'd turn on her now, since he's the one who created the curse for her in the first place.
In Fairy Tale land, a boy runs in front of a cart after his ball and the merchant yells but stops when he realizes who the boy is. It's Rumplestiltskin's son. He assures his father he's fine, but when Rump sees the cut on his son's leg he turns the man into a snail over Baelfire's objections. He stomps on the snail as his son cries no.
In the hospital, David visits Kathryn. He apologizes for everything, but she's extremely understanding, saying that what they had just wasn't right for him.
Emma hosts a welcome home party for MM. Henry conspires with August, asking if he found what he was looking for at Gold's. August has a feeling it'll find him.
Henry gives MM his present -- a giant card from the class that says "We're so glad you didn't kill Mrs. Nolan!"Emma goes to take Henry home, but runs into David at the door. MM isn't ready to see him yet, so Emma suggests he take Henry home to get rid of him.
Emma confronts Gold, asking if he's the one who made Kathryn materialize."Are you proposing I'm working with Regina, or against her?" Gold asks."I don't know, maybe diagonally," Emma says.
Gold asks her about August."He's a writer; a typewriter wrapped in an enigma wrapped in stubble," Emma says. Gold thinks August Booth is a fake name and tells her about him poking around his shop. But Emma trusts August a lot more than she trusts Gold.
Fairy Tale landRumplestiltskin brings his son home and starts to heal his knee with magic, but his son doesn't want magic. Baelfire tells his dad he's different now.
Rumple points out he's brokered an ogre truce and saved lives. But Baelfire wants him to try to get rid of his power. The only way Rumple knows of is if someone stabs him with the Rumplestiltskin knife.
Baelfire asks if his dad would go along with getting rid of his magic if he found a way that didn't involve dying. Rumple says all he wants is his happiness and agrees. Bael makes them shake on it. The deal is struck.
Storybrooke
Rumple breaks into August's room and pokes around. He soon finds a drawing of the Rumplestiltskin knife.
Emma joins Sidney at the diner, confronting him with the bug he planted. Emma tells him there's a DNA trail in a basement somewhere and she's going to find it and he and Regina will be in a lot of trouble. Sidney defends her as an "amazing woman" and Emma realizes he's in love with Regina.Emma warns him he's going to end up going down with Regina, too.
Mr. Gold follows August through town.
Fairy Tale land
Rumple leaves Bael to play with local children, but they're all afraid of him. A girl named Morraine joins him. He tells her about trying to find a way to get rid of his dad's power. She tells him about the original being that roams the night that is more powerful than his father.
Rumplestiltskin returns and Bael sees blood on his shoes. His dad announces they need a new maid. She heard them talking about the knife. He doesn't care that she was mute and couldn't tell anyone. Bael is horrified.
StorybrookeMr. Gold sees August talking to Mother Superior. When August leaves, he interrogates her. She says August came to town looking for his father after a long separation and he recently found him. But he hasn't spoken to him yet because it was a difficult parting.
Fairy Tale LandBael creeps out into the woods at night, and quietly calls to the powerful one. The blue fairy/Mother Superior arrives, saying she can help with good magic. Bael says his father is The Dark One. She offers to send him somewhere without magic -- it's the only way for him to get his father back. She gives him a magic bean, the last that is known to their kind. She tells him to follow it where it leads him.
StorybrookeDavid meets MM on the street. He apologizes, but she tells him she'll never forget what it felt like to not have his support. He points out it was a really good frame job, but she can't get past him not believing in her."It's like something in this world doesn't want us together," she says.He tells her he loves her, but she says that just makes everything sadder.
Fairy Tale LandBael comes home to his father, who is spinning gold. He tells him about meeting with the blue fairy. Rumplestiltskin says fairy magic doesn't mix well with what he is. Bael says they could be happy somewhere else without magic. He reminds his father about the deal he made and asks if he's backing out. Rumple says no.
StorybrookeMr. Gold visits Archie Hopper, who is willing to listen.Gold tells him he thinks he might have found his son, but he's not sure if he's only seeing what he wants to see.He thinks his son might still be very angry.
Archie assures him anger between a parent and a child is the most natural thing in the world."I think he might be here to kill me," Gold says."Oh well, that's not," Archie says.
Gold has spent his whole life trying to fix things but now he's here and doesn't know what to do. Archie tells him he just has to be honest with him.
Gold finds August at the cabin. He opens with telling August he knows who he is."Well, I guess all the lying can stop. Papa," August says.
Fairy Tale Land
Bael leads his father through the forest. Rumplestiltskin asks where they're going, what kind of world it is without magic. Bael throws the bean on the ground and a whirlwind opens in the ground, like a tornado. Bael tries to convince his father to go through, but Rumple says he can't. The hole gets bigger and Bael starts to slip into it.
Rumplestiltskin holds onto it, protesting that he can't go. Bael calls him a coward and reminds him he promised, but Rumple won't go.
Bael slips through the hole, leaving his father behind.
When the ground closes, Rumple claws at hit, saying he wants to go with him.
Storybrooke
Gold tells August that he was right about him being a coward and he should have gone with him and ever since he left, he's been trying to find him.
Gold asks August to do what he's always done and be the bigger man. He breaks down crying, saying he's sorry. August hugs him and when Gold asks if he can truly forgive him, August says yes.
Gold guesses that August was looking for the knife. He thought that if his dad still had it, it would mean he hadn't changed. Gold suggests they go look for it.
August digs and Gold explains he buried it shortly after Emma came to town, he didn't want to take the chance of Regina finding it.
They dig it up. Gold gives it to August, telling him to destroy it.He tells August he chose the knife once, but this time he's choosing his son.Gold hands it over to August.
August takes it but then points it at Gold, saying "I command thee, dark one!"Gold realizes he's trying to control him."You're not my son," Gold says.
Gold tells him his son would know the knife can't harness magic in this world because there isn't any. That's why he chose this world, because there isn't any magic.
Gold takes the knife back, guessing that August is from Fairy Tale Land. He wants to know how August knew about him and the knife and why he took the risk of messing with him.
August says he's sick and he needs magic.Gold leaves him.
Fairy Tale Land
Rumplestiltskin summons the blue fairy. She tells him there are no other beans to transport him. He guesses a curse might work. She says it would come at a great price and mean sacrificing this world.Rumplestiltskin swears that he'll do nothing but work to get his son back.
StorybrookeEmma comes to the sheriff's office and finds Regina waiting for her. She introduces Sidney and prompts him to repeat what he just told her. Sidney confesses to everything, saying he did it so he could rescue her and be a hero and get a book deal. Emma doesn't believe him for a second.
In the hallway, Emma tells Regina it's the biggest load of crap she's ever heard.Emma warns Regina she's about to start playing a different game and all she cares about is Henry. Regina tried to take away someone she loves, so now Emma's going to take away some Regina loves."I am taking back my son," Emma says.
20The Stranger
August installs a lock on Mary Margaret and Emma's door to keep Regina and her skeleton keys out of their apartment. Mary Margaret is getting ready to go back to her teaching job after her time in jail. Emma tells August and Mary Margaret that she hired Mr. Gold to help build a case for taking Henry away from Regina. Mary Margaret asks if she's ready to be Henry's mom and Emma says yes. Henry contacts Emma on the walkie talkie and asks her to meet him at Granny's due to an emergency. Emma leaves right away. August suggests Emma take the day off and go with him to a secret location. Emma says her kid needs her. She doesn't have time.
At Granny's, Henry tells Emma someone added a new but unfinished story to the book about Pinocchio.
In Fairy Tale Land, Pinocchio and his father are on a raft in a stormy sea trying to outrun a whale. There's only one life vest and Pinocchio refuses to take it, telling his father to "save yourself." The father wakes up the next morning on a beach with the life vest. He finds Pinocchio dead, face down on the beach. The father picks him up and cries the he wishes he could have saved him. The Blue Fairy floats downs from the sky. "You still can," she says. She waves her wand over Pinocchio and he's transformed from a puppet to a boy. He wakes up and says, "I'm a real boy." The father thanks the fairy. "This is all I've ever wanted," he says. She tells them to go live as a family. The Blue Fairy reminds Pinocchio to be "brave, truthful and unselfish. So long as you do that you'll always remain a real boy."
Back in Storybrooke, August calls Mr. Gold and says they have to talk about a problem with Emma. As he's getting up to leave, he jumps back in pain and pulls up his pants leg to reveal a wooden stick where his leg should be.
Regina approaches Mary Margaret at school, explaining she's there because Henry forgot his lunch. Mary Margaret tells Regina he's with "his mother." Regina asks if there's something wrong with Mary Margaret who tells her "not anymore," although she had been framed for murder by "someone." When Regina asks if she's insinuating something, Mary Margaret replies that she is but she forgives her because only someone terribly lonely would try to attack other people's happiness.
"It won't make you happy," she tells her. As Henry walks up, Mary Margaret walks away. Regina tells him she wants to transfer him to a new class. He asks Regina if she wants him to have a new teacher because she framed Mary Margaret. When Regina asks if Henry thinks she's capable of such a thing, he replies, "Of course. You're the evil queen." Regina tells him the fairy tales aren't real. Henry tells her she can't stop Snow White from getting her happy ending or being with Prince Charming.
"The curse will end. Good will win," says Henry before insisting he won't transfer to a new class.
August enters Mr. Gold's shop to find an old man (who we recognize as Pinocchio's father) trying to sell an antique clock. August seems shocked to see the old man. The old man, who doesn't seem to recognize August, leaves and Mr. Gold asks if it's August's first time seeing "dear old Dad since you arrived in Storybrooke?"
Mr. Gold asks why a man who says he's about to die can't say hello to his own father. August replies that is his business. Mr. Gold says August claims to be the only person who can get Emma to believe and do what she was brought to Storybrooke to do. August says Emma is slowing things down because all she can think about is getting custody of Henry. August asks Mr. Gold to steer Emma to him through his legal advice about custody. Mr. Gold says he has trouble trusting August given what he knows about his nature.
In Fairy Tale Land, Pinocchio helps his father fix a coo-coo clock. When Jiminy Cricket pops out of the clock tied up, the father asks Pinocchio if he did this and reminds him what the Blue Fairy said about being a good boy. Jiminy says Pinocchio didn't mean any harm. The Blue Fairy appears and says she has bad news. Pinocchio leaves the room with Jiminy. The Blue Fairy tells Pinocchio's father that the Evil Queen has threatened the kingdom with a curse. She says there's hope if the father will help. She tells him Snow White is about to have a baby who will save everyone in the kingdom when she reaches her 28th year. Pinocchio's father asks how he can protect this child. The Blue Fairy tells him there's an enchanted tree -- like the one he carved Pinocchio from -- that can protect Snow White's child from the Queen's magic if carved into a wardrobe. Pinocchio's father says he's already lost too much to lose his boy.
Back in Storybrooke, Emma tells Mr. Gold she has to save Henry from Regina. Mr. Gold says he won't take her case because they can't prove what Regina did and she has too much power in town. Emma urges him to change his mind, but he says he's not the man to help her beat Regina. Emma leaves angry and goes to August's house. She tells him she's out of options and he once said to beat Regina she needs to see the "big picture."
"Show it to me," she says to August.
David sees Regina struggling with her car, which she says won't start. He checks it out and says the battery is dead, and offers her a ride because she has a car full of groceries. She accepts, and calls him her "knight in shining armor." She invites him to stay for dinner once they get to her house. David says it's late and he has to get up early for work. He goes inside and Regina sees a note addressed to "Mom." We see it's blank, but she tells David the note is from Henry. He's having dinner with a friend and won't be coming home. She tells David she shouldn't be burdening him with her problems. He starts to leave, then decides to stay for dinner after all. Regina smiles that evil smile.
In Fairy Tale Land, Gepetto, Pinocchio, Jiminy and the Blue Fairy find the enchanted oak tree. Gepetto says he can make a wardrobe out of it. The wardrobe has to be big enough to protect two from the Queen's curse -- Snow White and the prince -- who will step inside before the curse strikes, and travel to a distant land where Snow will give birth to her child. When the child reaches her 28th year, she'll begin the battle that will defeat the Evil Queen. Gepetto realizes that once the curse strikes, Pinocchio will turn back into a puppet. The Blue Fairy says it's impossible to know for sure. Gepetto asks to give Pinocchio one of the two safe spots in the wardrobe. Jiminy tells Gepetto he can't bargain with the fate of the whole kingdom. Gepetto says Pinocchio goes into the wardrobe or no one does. He tells the Blue Fairy to tell the prince and Snow White that there is only enough magic in the tree to protect one person.
At the round table, the Blue Fairy explains the magic of the tree and Gepetto confirms he can build it. She includes the one caveat, that the tree can protect only one and a choice must be made.
In Storybrooke, August is taking Emma on a trip to tell her his story. And they leave Storybrooke.
David and Regina wrap up dinner, and David compliments Regina's lasagna by telling her "you really know how to work some magic." She and we get the irony, but he doesn't. Eventually, David asks Regina to tell him the story of how she found him. She remembers it being a cold night and it was late. She went back for her forgotten phone and saw David on the side of the road, unconscious. David thinks it's almost like the universe wanted her to find him. She moves in for a kiss, but David backs away and says "this is great like it is.' He leaves. After David is gone, Regina angrily throws a glass at a mirror and shatters it.
In Fairy Tale Land, Snow White is in labor and the wardrobe isn't yet finished. The curse is almost upon them, and tells Gepetto that Pinocchio can't go into the wardrobe. After the Blue Fairy leaves, Gepetto tells Pinocchio to get into the wardrobe. Pinocchio resists lying, but goes along with Gepetto's plan. Gepetto makes Pinocchio promise that in 28 years he will make sure the savior believes. Pinocchio gets in. Gepetto tells him, "You will find me again, and on that day I will look at you with pride. You will be a great man, my son."
Gepetto closes the doors, there is a rumble, and he opens the doors to find the wardrobe empty. He cries.
Outside Storybrooke, we see August driving Emma on his motorcycle. They arrive at a diner Emma recognizes. August says he was the 7-year-old boy who found Emma when she was a baby.
Pinocchio pops out of a tree in a forest, but it's clearly a different time when he sees a commercial airplane fly over him. He bumps the tree again and gets a jolt filled with flashbacks to his father and the moment he was sent away in the wardrobe. There is another jolt and Pinocchio finds a crying baby in a tree. He picks the baby up.
Outside Storybrooke, Emma tells August she's done listening to his story. But he tells her more details about the blanket she was wrapped in when he found her. He says he lied about where he found her in order to protect her. He tells her they both came into this world through the tree they're standing next to. He says the unfinished story from Henry's book, which he wrote, ends with her believing. She leaves and he gives chase, only until he falls over in pain. He explains that he was in Phuket, Thailand, a beautiful place, when Emma decided to stay in Storybrooke. She asks how he knows when she decided to stay and he says he woke up at 8:15 in the morning with a shooting pain in his leg. That's 8:15 p.m. in Storybrooke, and that's when time started to move forward again in the town. He says he was supposed to be there for her and he wasn't, which was why he needed a painful reminder.
He tries to show her his wooden leg, but she can't see it. She only sees a leg. He says her denial is worse than he thought, but she says she doesn't want the fate of everyone in the town on her shoulders. She only wants Henry. He tells her she's everyone's "only hope."
"Then you're all screwed," she says before walking away.
In a flashback, we see Pinochhio making funny faces in a foster home to stop Baby Emma's crying. Another kid shows Pinocchio a wad of cash he found in a sock drawer in the house and says it's enough to buy them all bus tickets out of town. Pinocchio wants to bring Emma, but can't. He decides to go away, leaving Emma behind.
In Storybrooke, August walks up and sees the man he knows is his father working on the coo-coo clock. He gives him a tip on how to make it work and the man tries it with success. He flashes a smile and asks, "Who taught you that?"
August says, "My father."
The man says August's father must be very proud, but August says he doesn't think he turned out to be the man his father wanted him to be. August says he had a chance to fulfill a promise but by the time he got around to it, it might have been too late. The older man says if he had a son, he'd be proud as long as eh tried to follow through and correct his mistake. August asks the man if he'd be willing to take on an assistant, and the man says he can't pay him.
"I just feel like fixing things," August says. The man invites him into the garage.
Henry wakes up that night to a "code red" on the walkie talkie from Emma. She says she needs to talk to him about them. He goes outside to talk and Emma asks him if he wants to get away from Regina and live with Emma.
"More than anything," he says.
She tells him to buckle up because they're leaving Storybrooke. And she drives off.
21An Apple Red as Blood
Regina has a harrowing nightmare about the residents of Storybrooke banding together against her. Meanwhile, just as Emma and Henry reached the town limits, Henry grabs the steering wheel and stops the car, telling Emma that her "family" needs her in Storybrooke.
In Fairy Tale Land, Prince James faces the kind and tells that losing his life for love is "a sacrifice that I am happy to make."
"As you wish," the king tells him before the knights walk him over to the guillotine and prepare to off his head. Just as the blade drops, it turns into water and in walks Regina. She wants the man the king pretends is his son and offer to pay any riches King Midas had promised for him. She wants to use the prince to get to Snow White.
In Storybrooke, Regina is upset that her apple tree is dying. She immediately goes to Mr. Gold for answers. She thinks the curse is weakening because of Emma. He mentions that Emma wants Henry and that the curse was meant to take away Snow White and Prince Charming's happiness. Giving up Henry might be the cost of keeping the curse intact. He reminds Regina, also, that the curse will be broken if she kills Emma. She wants Regina to undo the curse, but he says he couldn't even if he wanted to. She thinks he wants the curse broken and wants to know why. Mr. Gold doesn't want to discuss it. Regina wants a new deal but Mr. Gold isn't interested. She offers "anything." He tells her she no longer has anything he wants. He warns her that once people wake up and remember who she is and what she did to them, "they are going to be looking for blood."
Regina sticks a "white rabbit" card on Paige's bike at school.
Emma gets back home and Mary Margaret is annoyed that she'd left so abruptly. Emma apologizes and says she doesn't want to be sheriff and relying on her. She also admits that she took Henry with her. Mary Margaret tells Emma she's reverting into the person she was before she came to town. Mary Margaret tells Emma to figure out what to do with Henry.
In Fairy Tale Land, Snow White is planning her move to rescue the prince and Red brings news that the Queen is there, too. Snow is going on with the plan anyway, knowing that the Queen is trying to destroy her happiness.
Inside the castle, the Queen tells the prince she has a "satisfying brand of punishment" for Snow. She walks away, showing off an apple.
In Storybrooke, Regina meets with Jefferson, the Mad Hatter, and he acknowledges he got the "message" (the white rabbit card). She tells him she wants his help. He's none too pleased to see Regina, but she says she has a way for them to both get what they want. She shows him a hat box, which he opens. She wants him to use it again, but he says he can't make it work. She says she has some magic -- "hopefully enough for one last journey." She says the solution of how get rid of Emma lies back in their home land. Jefferson tells Regina that if he helps, he wants her to write him and Paige a new story, a new life in Storybrooke. She says he can have that "after we take care of Miss Swan."
In Fairy Tale Land, Snow gives the signal to launch the move toward the castle. They move in and Snow starts tearing up on some knights -- with a little help from Grumpy and the rest of the dwarves. Soon, they're trapped, but a swarm of fairies -- led by the Blue Fairy -- come by and knock the knights out with fairy dust.
Henry goes to August, who apologizes for having failed. August shows Henry his arm, which has now turned to wood. August explains he's changing back because he hasn't "been a good boy." August explains that Emma can't see his wooden appendages because she doesn't want to believe. August says he wants to spend what little time he has left with his father, Marco (in Fairy Tale Land). August tells Henry he's out of Operation: Cobra.
Emma talks to Dr. Hopper for advice, but he thinks Emma would have a difficult time making a case for custody. He tells Emma "this war has to end."
In the castle, Snow finds Charming locked up and makes her into his cell. But he isn't really there. He's just a mirage. The Queen took him to her palace and Snow is only seeing him through the Queen's mirror. The Queen shows up and tells Snow she wants to talk, and tells her they should meet "where it all began." Snow prepares for the parlay and heads off despite the dwarves' and Red's protests.
Regina leads Jefferson to the room where she keeps her magic. He puts the hat down but it doesn't spin. She gives the hat some magic, but it isn't enough. Jefferson needs "something that still works," and Regina looks at her ring from Daniel. It glows with magic and she reluctantly gives it up. The hat immediately begins to spin but not enough to open a portal. Jefferson says there might be enough magic to reach to the other side and retrieve. Regina has an idea. He tells her to "guide the hat" to the time and place where the thing exists. She tells him they're after an apple.
In Fairy Tale Land, Snow shows up for the parlay at the barn and reminds Snow about when she ran down Snow's runaway horse and saved her life. Regina takes Snow to Daniel's grave. She tells Snow that Daniel died because of Snow. She reminds Snow of how she promised to keep her secret and that's why Daniel was killed. The Queen presents Snow with an apple that would turn Snow's own body into a tomb in which she'll live with nothing but her own regrets. She has to eat it willingly. But if she doesn't, the prince dies. Snow congratulates the Queen for winning and eats the apple. Snow crumbles to the ground while the prince wakes up in his cell shouting because he knows the Queen has done something to Snow.
The apple rolls out of Snow's limp hand and down the hill, where it falls through a hole and Jefferson catches it in Storybrooke. Regina now has what she needs and has to figure out how to get the savior to taste her "forbidden fruit." We next see Regina whipping up some delicious-looking, apple-based pastry.
Just then, Emma shows up and wants to talk to Regina. She goes inside and tells Regina that "whatever" is between them needs to end. Emma tells Regina she's leaving town, but she wants to be able to visit and spend time with Henry. They head to the kitchen and Regina gives Emma her famous turnover." Emma looks suspicious at first, but takes it.
In Fairy Tale Land, the dwarves and Red find Snow laying lifeless on the hill. Red realizes Snow "sacrificed herself for true love." The Queen is watching all this, and still has the prince in his cell.
In Storybrooke, Regina boastfully visits Mr. Gold and tells him she came up with a solution by having made magic from magic. She tells Mr. Gold that he's going to be staying there, right where he belongs. She tells him that whatever there reason was he wanted the curse to be broken is "never going to happen."
Henry visits Emma as she's preparing to leave. He tries to stop her from leaving and tells her she's "just scared," which happens to all heroes right before they fight back, he adds. She tells him he can't believe in curses. Henry tells Emma that Regina wants her dead because Emma is the only one who can stop her. Henry sees the turnover and tells Emma she can't eat it because it's poison. He takes the turnover and eats it to prove the curse is real. She is about to give him ice cream when he collapses.
22A Land Without Magic
Previously on 'Once Upon a Time': Henry ate a poisoned apple tart that Regina had intended for Emma.
In Fairy Tale Land, Prince Charming (Josh Dallas) vows he will find Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin), but he's sent off for execution. At the last moment, he takes out a couple of knights and makes a run for it. One knight shoots another with an arrow and reveals himself as "a friend." It's the Huntsman (Jamie Dornan). He tells the prince he doesn't know him, but he knows Snow White, and he sends Prince Charming on his way.
In Storybrooke, Henry (Jared Gilmore) is in the hospital and non-responsive. Emma (Jennifer Morrison) tells Dr. Whale (David Anders) the poisoned apple tart must have been the cause. He tells her Henry is showing now signs of neurotoxins. There is no explanation, he says. "It's like" he starts to say. Emma sees Henry's book of fairy tales and finishes the sentence to herself by saying, "It's like magic."
She picks up the book and is jolted by its stories. Regina (Lana Parrilla) appears. Emma goes off on her. "You did this," Emma says before slamming Regina around for a bit. Emma tells Regina that Henry ate the apple turnover. Regina confesses the turnover was meant for Emma. Regina also admits she used the last of her magic. She doesn't know what will happen to Henry because magic in Storybrooke is unpredictable.
"So what do we do?" Emma asks Regina, who says there's one other person in town who knows about it.
"Mr. Gold," Emma says.
"Actually, he goes by Rumplestiltskin," Regina replies.
In Fairy Tale Land, the knight who let Prince Charming go tells the Queen (Lana Parrilla) that Charming escaped. The Queen sees a vision of Charming in her mirror and says, "He's mine." We next see Charming confronted by Rumplestiltskin (Robert Carlyle). He takes Charming's mother's ring and tells him it will get brighter the closer Charming gets to Snow White. Charming doesn't want to make a deal with Rumple. They engage in a sword fight but Rumple's magic makes it an uneven fight. Rumple eventually tells Charming to take the deal because they both want Charming to end up together with Snow White.
In Storybrooke, David (Josh Dallas) finds Mary Margaret (Ginnifer Goodwin) and tells her he was wrong about her and them, "about everything." He wishes he had a good reason for not believing in her. He says his life hasn't made sense since he woke up from the coma, but he says what he's feeling for her is love. He tells her he's going to leave for Boston unless she gives him a reason to stay. She says she can't.
Back in Fairy Tale Land, Rumple offers Charming a vial of "true love." He tells Charming the magic of true love must be protected at all costs. He asks him to put it inside the belly of the beast. Rumple says he's "saving it for a rainy day."
In Storybrooke, Emma and Regina visit Mr. Gold (Robert Carlyle) for help. He tells Emma he's bottled some true love, which is the only magic capable of reversing the curse. He says the true love magic is so powerful that when he created the dark curse, he placed a drop of it on the parchment. He saved the rest in a vial, he says, for a rainy day.
"Well, it's storming like a bitch," Emma says, "where is it?"
She doesn't care about reversing the curse, just saving Henry. Mr. Gold says Emma has to go find it. Then he asks Regina if their "friend" is still in the basement. The magic is hidden "in her." Mr. Gold then reveals Emma's father's sword.
Emma visits Henry in the hospital and tells his non-responsive body he was right about the curse. She's sorry she didn't believe him. She leaves his book for when he wakes up. Regina comes in. Emma tells her to say what she's got to say because they have to meet in 10 minutes. Jefferson (Sebastian Stan) sees Regina crying over Henry. He says he's there to collect on their deal. Regina says it's null and void because Emma was meant to eat the apple. She asks Jefferson if he's going to kill her. She tells him she knows he wants to, but he doesn't have it in him.
Emma goes to August (Eion Bailey) and finds he can't open the door. He's mostly turned into wood. Emma can see it now. He tells her she has to break the curse to stop it from happening. She tells him "no normal person" can deal with what she's trying to figure out. He tells her she's not normal. She can "save all of"... Before he can finish, his face turns to wood.
Regina takes Emma to the secret chamber and tells her to get into an elevator Regina has to lower her into. Regina says "an old friend" is down there. Emma warns Regina that if Henry dies, so does Regina.
Back in Fairy Tale Land, we see Charming's first encounter with the beast -- a not-particularly-fearsome-looking woman (aka Maleficient (Kristin Bauer van Straten) who had some serious magical power before turning into a dragon.
In Storybrooke, we see Emma looking for the "old friend" and seeing the dragon.
In alternating pieces, we see Charming trying to get the true-love magic into the beast and Emma trying to get it out. At one point, Emma tosses the sword aside and tries to use her gun, which is useless.
At the hospital, Mary Margaret reads the story of Snow White to Henry. She tells Henry she gave him the book because she knows life doesn't always have a happy ending, but she thought...
Before she can finish, Henry's monitors start beeping.
Doctors and nurses rush in. We see one person walk to an exit door with a cup of tea. The person hands a receptionist the tea. She immediately slumps over. It's Jefferson. He's going to get Belle (Emilie de Ravin). He tells Belle to go find Mr. Gold and tell him Regina locked her up. "He's going to know what to do," Jefferson says.
In Fairy Tale Land, Rumple is impressed with Charming's work. He hands the prince the ring and says he "will find her" with it. Charming takes it and thanks him. Rumple whips up some shiny new clothes for Charming, who asks Rumple why he wants Charming and Snow White together. Rumple says he's "a fan of true love, deary; and, more importantly, what it creates."
We next see Emma again pointlessly shooting at the dragon. She sees the sword and figures it's worth a shot. She grabs it and hurls it straight at the dragon's belly. After a loud burst, she sees the egg which contains the vial of true love.
In Fairy Tale Land, Charming's ring is glowing as he races through the forest. He finds the dwarves, who are carrying Snow's lifeless body. He stands over her and asks for a chance to say goodbye. He kisses her and the wind whips. Snow breathes again. They walk together and Snow asks Charming how he did it. He shows her the ring that led him back to her, and then he proposes with it. He asks her to marry him and she says, "What do you think?" They kiss, but something seems off. She says it's "the little matter of your father and my stepmother." She suggests they take back the kingdom. He asks how and she says, "Together."
In Storybrooke, David drives away.
Emma is coming up in the elevator and it jams. She looks up and sees Mr. Gold, who says Regina has abandoned her. Emma tries to climb up the rest of the way. Mr. Gold urges her to just toss the egg up to him. Henry is going to be fine. She tosses it up to him and climbs the rest of the way. By the time Emma gets to the top, she sees Regina bound with her mouth taped. Regina says Gold tricked her. They start to chase after him and both get calls from the hospital. They arrive. and Dr. Whale and nurse tell them they did everything they could.
Emma goes inside and sees a nurse taking Henry's oxygen mask off. Regina watches through a window to the room.
Mr. Gold is in his shop and opens up the egg. The vial is intact. The door opens and he hides it. Belle walks in and tells him she was told to find him. She tells him Regina locked her up. He touches her shoulder and realizes she's "real" and "alive." Belle says she was told he'd protect her. He hugs her and gets emotional, vowing to protect her. She asks if she knows him, and he says, "No, but you will."
At the hospital, Regina cries. Emma brushes his hair. Emma tells Henry she loves him and kisses his forehead. A jolt runs through them and Henry breathes, saying, "I love you, too. You saved me." Regina is amazed, as well.
The jolt runs through the rest of the town, hitting Mary Margaret, Red (Meghan Ory), Granny (Beverley Elliott), Dr. Hopper (Raphael Sbarge), and David, who hits the brakes on his truck just as he was about to leave the town. Henry realizes Emma broke the curse. One of the nurses -- who we know is the Blue Fairy (Keegan Connor Tracy) -- tells Regina, "If I were you, your majesty, I'd find a place to hide."
Regina tells Henry that no matter what anyone tells him, she does love him. Then she runs.
David walks back through town, sees Mary Margaret and calls out, "Snow!" She stops and responds, "Charming." They meet in the middle of the street and she says, "You found me!" They kiss.
Regina sits in Henry's empty room and cries.
Mr. Gold and Belle are in the forest when she tells him she remembers, and tells him she loves him. They hug, and he says, "And I love you, too." First, though, he says there's something he must do.
He walks her to a well whose waters below are said to return the powers which one has lost. He drops the vial of true love into it, and a purple cloud emerges, spilling out of the well.
Back at the hospital, Emma asks Henry why people didn't go back if the curse is broke. Just then everyone looks outside to see a purple cloud enveloping the town. Belle asks Rumple what's happening. He says he's bringing magic back. When she asks why, he says, "Because magic is power."
