Snow White and the Stephen King Novel

Once Upon a Time…There were title cards.

And some guy riding a horse. Through a forest. As it snows. The seven dwarves greet him, revealing Ginnifer Goodwin…I mean, Snow White…in a coffin. He demands they open it so he can say good-bye. They oblige and he kisses her. Snow White wakes up and says he found her. He promises to always find her as we cut to the wedding where everyone is invited. Grumpy is forced to applaud. The evil one enters—which is clear by the fact she is in black. Snow White pulls a sword and proves this one is badass. The prince tells her to leave but the Queen says she has a gift for them. She says they will have this day but soon, everything will be taken from them. She wants them to suffer. The prince throws his sword at her, but disappears.


She goes home and lights a candle on a cupcake for herself. She makes a wish before blowing it out. The doorbell rings and the boy is there. He introduces himself as her son, Henry.

Henry enters the apartment while Emma protests she doesn’t have a son. He asks if she ever gave up a child for adoption, spooking Emma. She locks herself in the bathroom while Henry raids her fridge for juice. He wants her to come home with him. She threatens to the call the cops, he threatens to claim he was abducted. Emma says she can tell when people are lying and he is. He pleads with her to come with him to Storybrook, ME. Oh no, it’s a Stephen King novel!

We cut to a castle and a pregnant Snow White. The prince asks what’s wrong and he tells her to stop thinking about the queen. Snow White reminds him that she poisoned an apple because she thought her step-daughter was pretty than her. Touché, Snow White. She wants to speak to “him” and the prince agrees.

Henry asks for some food while Emma flat out refuses. Henry tells Emma that the book is true and dares Emma to figure out if he’s lying. He tells her she is in the book. “Oh, kid, you have problems,” she sighs. Henry says she will solve them.

We cut back to the prison, where “him” turns out to be Rumpelstiltskin. He says they want to know about the queen’s curse, but it will cost them the name of their first born child. He tells them that the queen will soon be imprisoned, but it will be worse. It will be time, a place where everything they hold dear will be torn from them. He tells them they can’t do anything but the baby is their only hope. He implores them to get the baby to safety and on the baby’s 28th birthday, the child will return and begin the final fight. He asks for the baby’s name, asking for the girl’s name. The prince says it’s a boy, but Rumpelstitlskin disagrees. Snow White reveals her name is “Emma.”

At the same time, Emma crosses into Storybrook.

It’s raining as Emma drives through town. She asks for an address. “44 Not Telling You Street”.  Emma stops the car and realizes the clock is broken. Henry reveals that time stops here as all the fairy tale characters are trapped here. If they leave, bad things happen he says. Oh god, it really is a Stephen King novel! A man named Archie tells Emma where Henry lives, revealing his mom is the mayor. Archie is also Henry’s therapist. He talks to Henry about lying before walking off. Henry reveals Archie is really Jiminy Cricket. “I thought your nose grew” she says. “I’m not Pinocchio!” he replies.

Meanwhile, the prince wants to fight but Jiminy disagrees. They wonder if they can trust Rumpelstiltskin, but the animals of the forest confirm it. Snow White has lost her fight and is pretty defeatist. A fairy enters with an enchanted tree, claiming it will help the child. Gepetto agrees to help, though the fairy says the tree will only hold one person.

Henry doesn’t want to go home, claiming his mother is evil. Emma protests it’s not true. The mayor comes running out, really worried. She hugs Henry and he reveals he found his birth mother. The mayor invites her in for “best apple cider you ever had.” Emma asks how Henry found her but the mayor doesn’t know. She asks if she should be worried about the father but Emma says he doesn’t know. The mayor talks about how hard it is to be a single mother and the mayor. Emma says she understands, though the mayor doesn’t know about the book.

Emma leaves, realizing Henry left his book. She spots a wolf in the road, spinning out and hitting the Storybrook sign. The pages of the book turn to an illustration of Gepetto and Pinocchio working on the tree.

It comes to life as Snow White watches them. She doesn’t want to leave her husband, but he wants her to be safe. She says they will be separated for 28 years. He says it won’t matter. She then feels a pain and realizes she is in labor. Drunky Dwarf spots something coming and realizes the curse is upon them.

Extreme close up on an eye—is this CSI suddenly? Emma wakes up in the drunk tank. The jailor lets out Leroy, who is clearly Grumpy. The sheriff says that Regina—the mayor—makes stronger drinks. Emma swears she saw a wolf. The mayor comes in and reveals that Henry has run away again. She is surprised to see Emma there and asks if she took Henry. Emma’s like “I’m in a prison cell. What do you think?” She offers to help find Henry since that’s what she does. She looks at his computer and finds the site he used to find her. He paid using a credit card registered to Mary Margaret Blanchard. The mayor reveals that that is Henry’s teacher.

We cut to her classroom where the kids are making birdhouses. She herself is holding a bluebird, which she releases. It flies to its birdhouse as she talks about their loyalty. The bell signals recess. The mayor asks where Henry is but the teacher thought he was home sick. The mayor asks about her credit card and Mary Margaret checks her wallet. She shakes her head and says she shouldn’t have given him that book. Mary Margaret says that Henry is special but lonely. The Mayor says he needs a reality check. Mary Margaret tells Emma that the books are about how to deal with life. She thinks he has issues about being adoption than realizes who she is talking to and apologizes. She tells Emma to check his castle.

We cut to Snow White in labor as her husband helps her. What, no midwife? She says she can’t have the baby now as Gepetto says the tree is ready. But Snow White can’t be moved. As the queen approaches the castle, a baby’s cry is heard. The royal family has a sweet moment before realizing that the tree only holds one. Snow White tells him to take the baby to the tree, to give her the best chance. They kiss her good-bye. The prince grabs his baby, grabs his sword and takes off as Snow White starts crying.

The Knights Who Say Ni are now apparently working for the queen as the prince fights them off. He gets to Gepetto’s workshop and puts Emma inside the tree. With another kiss, he turns to be stabbed by a Knight Who Says Ni. They try to get the baby, but she is gone. The prince has that thought as he dies.

Henry has built a castle by the shore. Emma finds him, bringing the book with her. She comments that the clock hasn’t moved. He says he hoped that she would start the final battle. She says she won’t be fighting any battles. Henry says he knows why she gave him away—to give him his best chance, the same reason Snow White gave Emma away. Emma says she isn’t a character.

She takes Henry back, but he protests. Emma reveals that she was left on the side of the freeway and went into the foster system. She had a family until she was three but they returned her after having their own children. She tells him that the mayor wants him and loves him. She encourages to go back. Henry tells her about the tree and that’s just where she ended up. Emma decides to humor him and he goes with her.

Meanwhile, Snow White discovers her husband’s body. She begs him to come back to her, trying the kiss thing. Not going to work this time. The queen tells her she won’t remember him in a few minutes so she could have her own happy endings. A Knight Who Says Ni reports that the child is missing and Snow White has hope. The curse descends on the castle as the queen laughs. The cloud engulfs them as…

Emma returns Henry to the Mayor. She thanks Emma again. Emma tells her that she made a wish not to be alone on her birthday. Henry then showed up. The Mayor says Emma is not invited back into Henry’s life because she’s been there for 10 years. She doesn’t get to speak as the Mayor says Emma has no legal right to Henry. She threatens Emma, telling her to leave. Emma asks if the Mayor loves Henry. She says she does. Emma doesn’t seem convinced.

The Mayor takes Henry’s book and looks in the mirror. Mary Margaret visits a hospital, where she is a volunteer. She brings flowers to patients, including her own Prince Charming who is in a coma. Henry watches the clock as Emma approaches a cottage—Granny’s Bed and Breakfast. Granny is arguing with her granddaughter, who dons a red scarf. Take a wild guess. Emma asks for a room, exciting Granny. A man comments on her name and we see it’s Rumplestiltskin. Granny gives him some money and the granddaughter reveals he is the owner of the town. Emma says she’s staying a week, the same amount of time Henry asked her to stay for.

The clock begins to move.

Coming Up: The real story about the fairy tales will be told.

This was the only new show I was really excited about. And I’m happy to say that the show hasn’t disappointed so far. I liked how they intercut the story set in the real world and the story in the fairy tale one. I am going to have fun trying to guess who each townsperson is supposed to be, I can tell. Perhaps I should create a list?

Mayor: Evil Queen
Leroy: Grumpy
Mary Margaret: Snow White
Archie: Jiminy Cricket
Jailor: Gepetto
Granny: Granny
Granddaughter: Red Riding Hood
Coma Patient: Prince Charming

Anyway, I’ll keep watching, see what happens.

Quote of the Episode

“Just because you believe something doesn’t make it true.”
“It’s exactly what makes it true.” --Emma and HenryWe cut to a boy on a bus. An older woman asks if it’s good and he says it’s more than a book. He has a credit card and hires a cab. Next we see Jennifer Morrison about to go on a date. We learn her name is Emma and her date is relieved she looks like her picture. She reveals it’s her birthday, has no family and no friends. She guesses that he embezzled from his company but then skipped town after his wife put up the bail. Emma is revealed to be a bail bondsman (“bail bonds person”) and he runs. He tries to drive away but she has already had his car booted. He offers her money but she tells him to use it to take care of his family.