OUAT: Heartbreak

Last time on “Once:” We learned more about Camelot. Arthur was destined from childhood to be king and loved Guinevere that long. But when he retrieved a broken Excalibur, he became obsessed with trying to make it whole again. In the process, he neglected Guinevere and drove her into the arms of the more attentive Lancelot. The two go on a quest to find the Dark One dagger but end up making a deal with Rumpelstiltskin for dust that could make Excalibur whole.

Except that Arthur discovered them, banished Lancelot and used the dust on Guinevere to make her love him again. They then used the dust to create the Camelot we’ve been seeing.

Shady.

In the present, Emma tried to take the dagger and was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Henry and Hook took her to the stables owned by Violet’s family, letting Henry spend some time with his crush while Emma freaked out about her son having a girlfriend. Hook then took her out riding, allowing her to forget the Dark One in her head for a bit. It was also a great moment for Captain Swan fans.

Things though weren’t great for Snowing. They argued about trusting Arthur or Lancelot. Charming tried to give Arthur the dagger while Lancelot went with Snowing to hide the dagger. Arthur followed and revealed that he wants to destroy the Dark One and Merlin. Charming showed up and Snowing revealed it was a trap. But Arthur used the dust on them so now they are pro-Arthur. Thankfully, Outlaw Queen seemed to think something was up.

And in Storybrooke, Emma untied Merida from the front of her car and took her heart, commanding her to turn Gold into a hero.

Que?


We open in the past. Merlin fights with a cloaked figure in a mask—the original Dark One, it seems. He yells that the Dark One destroyed the only woman he ever loved and starts to cry. The Dark One catches the tear on the dagger, just like Rumple did with Anna last year, and Merlin becomes a tree.
Emma sees all of this using one of her dream catchers, a call back to Season 2 about how they caught more than dreams.

(Poor Merlin)

(Also, place your bets now: Who thinks the first Dark One was Merlin’s true love?)

In Storybrooke, Emma unties Gold as he tells her that he’ll never be a hero. He’s just a coward so she should just let him go hide. Emma calls forth Merida and tells Gold that he’s going to have lessons with her until he’s a hero.

(Gold is not convinced he can be a hero)

Once she’s done there, she leaves the Secret Lair to go to the Secret Shed. She keeps all her dreamcatchers in there and she picks one up. Tears prick at her eyes as she clutches it to her chest.
Hmm…

(Curiouser and Curiouser)

Meanwhile, Snow and Charming go with Regina to retrieve the dagger from its hiding place. Which is in a tree stump in the woods. Something tells me that Robin played a big role in selecting the hiding spot. Regina is hesitant to give them the dagger but Snowing insist that they can trust Arthur.

(Definitely Robin's suggestion)

Then they are frozen and Emma appears. She tells Regina that her parents are under the influence of magical dust and that they can’t trust Arthur. Regina asks how she knows this and Emma says she used a dreamcatcher. While I’m glad that we’re not dragging out the reveal of the use of magic on Snowing, it seems like a cop out. It reminds me a bit of fanfiction where the main character knows everything despite having no real good reason to have such knowledge because the author knows, so their character saves the day easily.

Anyway, Regina is a bit concerned as dreamcatchers are apparently dark magic. But Emma says it helped her figure out how to release Merlin. She explains that a tear caused by lost love trapped him in the tree. Regina deduces that another tear caused by lost love might be able to free him.

In Storybrooke, everyone tries to figure out what happened in Camelot to cause Emma to enact a curse. Arthur and Guinevere are in on this meeting because everyone forgot they are untrustworthy. They decide that they need a distraction and Guinevere asks about a ball. Henry’s all for it and David asks if it’s for his new girlfriend. Regina goes into Mama Bear Mode, wanting to know more about this girlfriend. Mary Margaret swoops in, dragging Regina off to plan Storybrooke’s first ball.

(Grandma to the rescue)

They walk down the street as Regina tries to get more information about Henry’s girlfriend from someone. Mary Margaret is trying to get her stepmother to chill when Belle runs up. She explains that Rumple is most likely awake but missing. She asks for help finding him.

Back in Camelot, Henry goes to visit Violet. They have a sweet exchange and decide to go horseback riding again. Violet leaves to get something and Henry decides to play around with a sword he finds. He pretends to be a brave knight who is defending Violet. But he ends up falling back, spooking a horse.

(He's adorable)

Violet’s father, Sir Morgan, appears and he’s not thrilled with Henry. He asks him how old he is and everyone please note that Henry is now 13. Jared, though, is still 15. We need a time jump soon. Anyway, he tells Henry that he has no skills that will keep Violet safe and doesn’t want him anywhere near his daughter.

Harsh.

In Storybrooke, Henry finds Violet and asks her to go to the party with him. But she says she can’t. Her beloved horse has gotten loose and she’s too worried to have any fun. She says her father is out looking for him, trying to lure him out with pumpkin. Henry promises to get her horse back for her.

All together now:

Henry shows up on Emma’s doorstep and asks her if she remembers why he brought her to Storybrooke. She says it was to return all the happy endings. He says he has a friend who needs help with her happy ending and so he needs Emma’s help. She agrees to do it.

(Look how happy she is!)

Over in the woods, Merida tries to train Gold. He struggles to stand as his limp is back without magic. She gives him an assist before handing him a sword. He insists he’s a coward but Merida says they both need him to be a hero. So she’s going to do that. She just needs to find something to motivate him to fight.

(Someone's done with this)

Emma and Henry head out to her bug, determined to find the horse. Henry pauses and says he’s missed the two of them. He’s missed being on Operation Cobra with her. Emma says she’s missed it too. They get in the car and drive off.

(Operation Cobra on the move!)

Regina and Emma gather ingredients for the potion needed to help them get Merlin out of the tree. Henry stumbles across his mothers and they notice he’s upset. Mama Bear Mode is activated in both of them and he talks about how Violet’s dad told him he wasn’t worthy of his daughter. He says he’s not like the knights of Camelot so Violet would never like him anyway. Regina reminds him—and us—about her first love, Daniel. She says she was attracted to him because he wasn’t like the other boys in her life. Emma echoes the sentiments, saying that’s what attracted her to Neal as well. They tell Henry that he’s from a strange world and he should use that. You know, what David told him at the ball two episodes ago.

(Team Mom Support)

Encouraged, Henry runs off. Regina then turns to Emma. She says she thinks she knows where they’ll get a tear of lost love. Emma nods.

This is going to be painful, isn’t it?

Regina and Emma set up in Regina’s room and Emma hands her a dreamcatcher. She asks if Regina is sure about this and she says she is. Holding the dreamcatcher up, it glows gold as clips from “The Stable Queen” play inside. We then watch along with Regina as Cora crushes Daniel’s heart again, crushing Regina’s as well. She begins to cry and Emma catches the tear. She then says she had no idea that’s what Regina had been through and Regina is surprised to learn Emma was able to watch. Emma asks what kind of mother could do that and Regina says Cora just thought it was for the best.

(The pain! The pain!)

With Emma and Henry off looking for the horse, some of the heroes storm Emma’s house. Regina goes right for the lock but she’s repelled right back into Robin’s arms. He holds her tight as they rule Hook out as well. Belle suggests using something of Henry’s since he’s probably the only one Emma would let into the house. Regina conjures him his scarf and it works. She thanks Henry and they sneak in.

(Outlaw Queen moment!)

Back in Camelot, Henry sets up a table at Granny’s for a romantic dinner for two. He even lights some candles and plays “Only You” again. Violet comes in, dressed in a beautiful pink dress that almost reminds me of the one they dressed Abby Ross in for Snow’s Emma vision last season. Anyway, Henry is a gentleman and takes her cloak, calling her “milady.” Hmm…My personal headcanon is that Henry went to Robin instead of Hook for some tips.

(This is so sweet!)

Violet is impressed by our food, which includes lasagna and Pepsi. She takes a sip and calls it a “carnival in a can.” There’s Pepsi’s new slogan, y’all. Anyway, Henry starts to get romantic and Violet pulls back. She asks Henry if he’s courting her and when he confirms he is, she tells him she’s only interested in being friends with him.

Everyone, group hug Henry!

Back in Storybrooke, Merida breaks into Regina’s office and retrieve’s Henry’s storybook. Which she knows about because…I don’t know, maybe Emma told her? But for now, we’ll go with MAGIC! IT WAS TOTALLY MAGIC! She finds Gold’s story and discovers a page with an illustration of Rumple, Belle and a very familiar tea cup. So she breaks into Gold’s shop and locates Chip.

Leave Chip alone!

Operation Cobra determines that since Nicodemeus, Violet’s horse, likes pumpkin, he probably ended up at the pumpkin patch just outside town. How long has that been there? Oh wait, it’s own by Peter Peter? Pumpkin Eater? Had a wife but couldn’t keep her? So he put her in a pumpkin shell and there he kept her very well? This is awesome! I love these little shout outs, like the one to Rip Van Winkle last season. Give us more!

Anyway, they do find the horse enjoying the pumpkins. Emma offers to use her magic, but Henry has another plan. He picks up a piece of pumpkin and uses it to lure the horse to him. Success! Mother and son are so proud of themselves.

(Success!)

Now inside the house, the quartet has made it past the NOT SUSPICIOUS AT ALL door and are in the Secret Lair. They find Excalibur and wonder what Emma wants with it. Belle leans in for a better look, noting that it bears a striking resemblance to the Dark One’s dagger. Hook wants to pull the sword to investigate further but Regina stops him, saying it might be bobby-trapped. Belle spies some rope and says that Emma had Gold.

(Belle is in full on geek mode)

Regina receives a text from Henry, warning Operation Breaking and Entering that Operation Cobra is on their way back. Everyone hurries out of Secret Lair and locks the NOT SUSPICIOUS AT ALL door. But they are distracted once they get upstairs by a box on a table. Opening it, they discover a dreamcatcher. Regina is suspicious and decides to take it with them as they flee the house just as Emma returns.

("She's doing arts and crafts?")

In Camelot, Regina and Emma create a potion using the ingredients they collected. But when they add Regina’s tear, nothing happens. Emma says it wasn’t painful enough and Regina’s like “I beg to disagree.” The same could be said of everyone who had to rewatch that scene along with Regina. But Emma says that it wasn’t as painful as it used to be because Regina’s found happiness with Robin (and Henry and Roland too, I imagine).

(Science class?)

Speaking of Henry, he enters the courtyard, upset. Team Moms go back into Mama Bear Mode, asking him what’s wrong. He reveals that Violet rejected him and that he isn’t a hero to her. Regina comforts him, dabbing at his eyes. She tells him that Violet may not see him as a hero, but she does. Regina hands the tissue to Emma, who adds it to the potion. It works!

Arthur and his knights storm the courtyard, determined to prevent them from freeing Merlin. This confuses the Swan-Mills family, who do their best to hold off the onslaught. Emma uses her light and dark magic, freeing Merlin from the tree. He looks at Arthur and tells him he’s disappointed in him. Looks like things are about to change in Camelot!

(That's pretty cool)

At the street fair, the Nolans and Hook confide in Arthur and Guinevere, because they don’t know any better. Arthur wants his sword back and they agree to figure out what to do. But the Nolans have to worry about their daughter as well.

Violet and Sir Morgan wander the fair, but she’s still down. Until people start to gasp and she looks up to find Henry riding her horse down the street. She lights up and thanks Henry for finding her horse. Sir Morgan this time approves of Henry and calls him a hero. He lets the two wander about the fair together. Score, Henry!

(Go, Henry!)

Meanwhile, in the woods, Merida returns to Gold. She says she just needed to find something he would want to fight for and holds up Chip. She tells him to fight or she’ll hurt Belle. Gold picks up the sword and comes at her. It’s a start and she’s pleased.

(Be careful with Chip!)

At the house, Regina and Robin prepare to watch the memory in the dreamcatcher. They are surprised to see Violet in her stables as she discovers Henry’s invitation. She’s even more surprised to see Emma, who apologizes before removing the girl’s heart. Emma tells Violet that she needs a tear of lost love, so she needs Violet to break Henry’s heart.

What the hell, Emma?

Henry sees it and he drops his popcorn. Regina and Robin are concerned but he doesn’t want to talk about it. He just storms up to his room as Outlaw Queen watches.

Back in Camelot, everyone regroups at Granny’s. Merlin undoes the spell on the Charmings and they reveal that Arthur and Guinevere are not to be trusted. They also ask if Merlin can remove the darkness from Emma. He says he can and asks Emma if she wants the darkness gone. She doesn’t respond right away.

(No one told me there would be a test)

In Storybrooke, the Dark Swan shows up on Regina’s porch. She asks to speak to Henry but Regina says he knows what she did in Camelot so he doesn’t want to see Emma. Emma says she tried to make up for it. Regina tears into Emma for doing what she did, saying that one rescue mission wasn’t going to fix everything. (And she suspects Emma let the horse out herself). She then pleads with her to tell them what is wrong. She tells Emma there’s nothing she can’t come back from. Emma remains silent so Regina storms back into the house.

(Yep. She's pissed)

Emma walks off, stopping to look up at Henry’s window. He’s watching her but he walks away, closing his curtains. She realizes she really screwed up this time.

That was an emotional episode. Poor Henry—hopefully Violet does really like him, though A+E have teased it doesn’t end well for them. I wasn’t too thrilled about the use of the dreamcatchers as sort of an infodump—I still think having Emma find out about her parents and just blurt it out was a cheap way out of that plotline. Especially as that could’ve been a reason why Emma cast the curse—she thought her family betrayed her, unaware they were under Arthur’s spell.

But Merlin’s free. Let the fun begin!

Next time: Belle and Merida’s Incredible Adventure!