OUAT: Cold as Ice

Last time on “OUAT”: Anna encounters the Dark One and ends up helping him swipe the Sorcerer’s hat from the Apprentice. She learns that her parents intended to trap Elsa, afraid of her powers, and she returns to Arendelle upset. Hook, meanwhile, asks for his hand back for his date with Emma. The date goes well for the most part but Hook’s hand is a bad influence. To get Gold to remove his hand, he has to help him capture the Apprentice in the hat. Meanwhile, Emma chases the Snow Queen and Henry decides to work for Gold in order to get more information for Operation Mongoose.

And Marian is still a popsicle.

Credits!
Emma and Elsa argue about finding the Snow Queen to get more answers. Will sits in his cell, bored. Has he been arraigned? Actually, does Storybrooke even have a court system? Are there judges? Lawyers? Or was there just no real crime to speak of so there was no need? Anyone?

(Will is thoroughly bored waiting for Storybrooke's apparently nonexistent legal system)

Hook leaves to go…do something off screen for most of the episode. Bye, Hook! Emma decides to go through the pictures Regina had Sidney take when he was trailing Emma for blackmail purposes. You know, way back in Season 1 when all Regina wanted was the Savior far away from her son and happy ending. In one picture, Emma sees herself talking with the woman they now know as Sarah Fisher. But she doesn’t remember it. After giving Will a partially eaten pop tart, Emma and Elsa go to find someone who can help them with the pictures: Regina.

(Curiouser and curiouser...)

Emma and Elsa pull up in Emma’s yellow bug to a mausoleum in the middle of nowhere, shrouded in fog. Emma tells Elsa that things between her and Regina are complicated, especially since Emma screwed up Regina’s love life. Elsa believes Regina can forgive Emma and that Emma shouldn’t give up—something she learned from Anna. But Emma says that once someone burns you, it’s over. She knows from experience.

And she’s not talking about Neal. 

We go to Minnesota in 1988. Young Emma (the same actress from “Snow Drfts”) wonders a grocery store and tries to steal a box of pop tarts. A security guard stops her but a young brunette girl around her age comes up, pretending they were shopping together. The security guard leaves them alone and Emma goes shopping with her new friend, Lily.

(One distraction, coming up!)

Lily and Emma exit the store and Lily tells her to get herself a credit card. Emma takes the advice. A man then starts yelling at Lily so she tells Emma to run. They do, expertly avoiding the man in the car. I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship that’s probably only going to last this one episode.

Regina sits in her vault, staring wistfully at a picture of her and Robin. It’s from “A Curious Thing,” when Robin and Regina were kissing at Granny’s. It’s a screen cap but the question is—how did she get a picture of that? Was someone lurking around Granny’s with a camera? Did she befriend the Doctor and have him take her back to that moment so she could get a picture to frame? The producers couldn’t have had Sean Maguire and Lana Parrilla pose for a different picture, one that looks like someone could’ve taken it?

(No, really. Where did she get that picture?)

She then gets a visit from Sidney. He wonders what she wants now. Regina wants to find the Snow Queen so she can get her to unfreeze Marian for Robin’s sake. She tells Sidney to go searching for her. Sidney does so, no doubt muttering curses under his breath.

Outside, it gets foggier as Elsa waits in the yellow bug. She hears someone calling her name. In the foggy fog, she sees someone that looks like Anna. Elsa gets out of the car and starts following her sister into the woods.

(Is it Anna? Or the Phantom of the Opera?)

Emma goes into Regina’s vault and asks her for help. Regina, of course, refuses. She says she’s too busy trying to save her true love’s wife. It’s almost as complicated as a soap opera. Emma just wants to talk to Sidney, but Regina refuses to tell her where Sidney is. Mostly because there’s no way she’s telling the Savior she’s trapped Sidney in her mirror again. Emma tries to apologize again but Regina’s having none of it. So Emma leaves.

(Sassy!Regina returns)

And immediately realizes that Elsa’s not in the car. Emma’s ready to kill her.

Sidney returns to Regina’s mirror, telling her he’s found the Snow Queen. But he can’t just tell her where her hideout is. He has to show Regina. So she puts him in her compact and carries him around like a GPS of sorts.

Elsa runs through the woods, hearing Anna call for her. She then spots Anna on top of a hill. But she has to cross a crevice. So she creates a frozen staircase like from the movies. Elsa runs across it and finds Anna. Except it’s not Anna. It’s all a trick by Auntie Sarah. She takes Elsa back to her frozen hideout and imprisons her using frozen shackles that only get tighter with her fear. Huh. Auntie Sarah is a bit twisted, isn’t she? Elsa asks her aunt where she is going and Auntie Sarah tells her she’s going to build a snowman.

(This is one weird family) 

I bet it’s not going to look like this:

Meanwhile, David is trying to help Mary Margaret with her separation anxiety. He wants them to take a walk for an hour. Get some fresh air and spend quality time with each other at the same time! He’s even asked Belle to watch Neal. She’s a natural with the baby. But Mary Margaret still has some qualms. David manages to get her out.

(Belle, Storybrooke's Best Babysitter) 

In 1998, Emma and her friend Lily have picnic by a lake. Emma explains that she watched a girl from her home—Cecilia—get adopted. She got in a car with a happy family and Emma realized she would never have that. She was too old. Namely, she retells the cold open to “Snow Drifts.” Anyway, Emma left and decided to strike it out on her own. As for Lily, she says she left a house where she felt out of place. Where she felt she wasn’t valued. She’s going to move into one of the big houses that rich people rent for the summer and invites Emma to join her. They’ll form their own family.

(Picnic time!)

Regina follows Sidney into the woods, letting him guide her until she hears someone coming. It’s just Emma, who is trying to find Elsa. She and Regina continue to have it out, but they realize they need to work together on this. So Regina reluctantly lets Emma come along, though she makes it clear she doesn’t trust Emma.
David and Mary Margaret first stop at the Sheriff’s office. There, they discover that Will has escaped. So they decide to spend some of their walk looking for the missing thief. Sounds so romantic. Oh, wait, to these two, it is romantic. Just like old times, David says.

(Ruh roh!) 

Meanwhile, Emma and Regina come across Elsa’s snow staircase. They try to cross it but Auntie Sarah’s snowman comes out to play. He’s definitely not as friendly as Olaf and appears to be more terrifying than Marshmallow. The bridge starts to crack underneath them as the Snow Queen shows up. Regina realizes they’ve walked into a trap and that Sidney’s betrayed her. He’s absolutely gleeful about it while Emma’s like “WTF, Sidney’s in your MIRROR?”

(That is definitely not Olaf!)

The Snow Queen appears and sends her snowman after Emma and Regina. They fight it until Emma realizes they have to combine their magic. Regina agrees. Emma’s white magic mixes with Regina’s—which is now red, not purple! Someone on tumblr theorized that it might signify her anger. I like that theory. Either way, combing their powers work and the snowman is destroyed.

But there’s still the Snow Queen to deal with. She threatens Emma and Regina, wanting Regina’s compact mirror. Regina hands it over but the Snow Queen decides to destroy her and Emma.  But Elsa has managed to overcome her fears long enough to escape her bonds. She knocks Auntie Sarah down and rescues the others. They flee the woods.

(Don't mess with Elsa)

Back in 1998, Lily and Emma break into one of the mansions and make themselves at home. They find a video camera and film silly home videos. They also play video games, which Lily beats Emma at. Emma says she doesn’t have much experience because her homes have never had such systems. She tries to find out more about Lily’s past, but she’s still vague. But she does open up about a birthmark she has—a star on a wrist. Lily explains she likes the birthmark because it makes her special. Like Harry Potter. Emma seems to understand this reference even though the first Harry Potter book was only released in the US a little time before when this flashblack seems to take place (It was released in September 1998). My theory is that she’s just pretending. Anyway, Lily draws a star on Emma’s hand in magic marker to make them sisters.

(Bonding!)

David and Mary Margaret continue on their walk, while keeping an eye out for Will. But after a while, David decides to continue the search alone and sends Mary Margaret back. He leaves and Mary Margaret spots someone digging in the field. She first decides to go home but then lets curiosity win. She goes over and  finds Will digging a hole. Is he trying to get back to Wonderland? Let’s find out…

(Will might have considered that plan)

After Will learns that Mary Margaret is married to the sheriff (David, not Emma—that’s her daughter), he admits that he had buried his bag and was trying to find it. Mary Margaret asks why he didn’t note where he buried it. Will says he did. He drew a map…which he left in his bag. Oops. Mary Margaret wonders if he really escaped or if David let him out in order to get Mary Margaret’s groove back. Will reluctantly admits David let him out and Mary Margaret pardons him, as mayor. She leaves him to his digging.

Elsa apologizes for leaving the car and explains she was tricked. Emma understands but wants to talk to Regina some more. She realizes she made a mistake in not forgiving someone a long time ago. And she doesn’t want to repeat that mistake. So she goes to find the former mayor.

Back in Minnesota, Lily and Emma are asleep on the couch when Emma hears someone come in. She wakes Lily up and gets ready to confront the intruder…until the intruder says “Lillith?” That’s Lily’s full name. And the “intruder”? It’s her father—the man trailing them in his car earlier. Lily’s a runaway from her family, not the foster care system. Emma’s hurt because Lily lied and let her think otherwise. That Lily was running away from the one thing Emma wanted: a family. As Emma goes back into foster care, Lily begs her to forgive her. Emma doesn’t.

(Hi, I'm the Bearer of the Truth)

So Emma goes to talk to Regina. She says she knows she screwed up but she doesn’t want Regina to be mad at her. Before the whole Marian thing, she had thought she and Regina were almost friends. This touches Regina, who probably hasn’t had a real friend in a long time. So she agrees to civility. It’s a start.
David returns home and asks Mary Margaret how she is. She’s feeling wonderful. And she tells David she knew what he did. David’s confused so Mary Margaret elaborates: He let Will out so she could get her mojo back. She explains she found Will and pardoned him. David says that he didn’t let Will go but he’s glad Mary Margaret isn’t so afraid any more. He thinks that means Will earned his pardon.

(Look at that sparkle!)

At the station, Emma goes through a box of her things from her childhood. Hook wanders in and asks if she wants some company. She lets him stay as she pulls things out. Underneath the blanket Snow White wrapped her in as a baby is the video camera she used with Lily. Emma plugs it in and watches herself with her friend. She pulls Hook’s arm around her and he pulls her closer.

Then the video changes and Emma sees some boys messing with the camera. Her younger self is in the background pleading for them to give it back. And then Sarah Fisher comes into view, telling them to give Emma her camera back. The video freezes on a still of Elizabeth Mitchell. Emma stares in shock—she doesn’t remember this at all.

(It's like she's staring into your soul)

In her frozen lair, Sarah frees Sidney from the mirror and lets him go live his life. She only wanted the mirror, not him. Breaking the mirror, she takes a piece and puts it into her own mirror, which is pieced together from other pieces of broken glass. It solidifies and becomes whole. Sarah stares at her reflection and says she will now get what she’s always wanted—a family that loves her.

(Mirror, Mirror on the wall/who's the craziest of them all?)

Interesting…

Many people theorized that the Snow Queen was once Emma’s foster parent. Looks like they were correct. Congrats all of you! Now the question is why she can’t remember that. How did Sarah get to Storybrooke? Who is going to be a part of her family?

Next time: A Belle-centric episode!

Screen caps from here.