OUAT: Snow White and the Bad Attitude

Last time on OUAT Season 1: It was a Ruby/Red centric episode! After a fight with Granny, Ruby quitted her job and moved out. She ended up staying with Mary Margaret and Emma. After witnessing Ruby answering the phones at the station, Emma decided to give her a job and let her help with the Kathryn Nolan case. Ruby was able to find an unconscious David, who Whale believed was having blackouts related to his coma, and then she located a box buried in the woods with truly horrifying contents. It made her re-evaluate her life and she returned to the diner, where Granny admitted she was harder on Ruby because she planned on turning the diner over to her one day. They then hugged it out.

In the Enchanted Forest, Red Riding Hood was chafing under her grandmother’s restrictions. She had fallen in love with her childhood friend, Peter, but Granny disapproved. And with a bloodthirsty wolf on the prowl, Granny refused to let her out often.

Red found Snow rifling through their henhouse and the two became fast friends. She confided about her feelings for Peter and then enlisted Snow to help her kill the wolf. As they tracked it, they determined the wolf was also human…and was Peter. So Red told him and offered to chain him up so he wouldn’t hurt anyone that night. Then they would run away together. It was a good plan except for one problem…

Peter wasn’t the wolf. Red was.

Granny and Snow arrived too late to save Peter but Snow took Red, running away with her to save her from the mob.

Emma informed David and Mary Margaret about what was in the box—a heart they believe to be Kathryn’s. David collapsed in shock that he could do something. Emma, though, said that the prints didn’t come back to him—they came back to Mary Margaret.

dun dun DUN!

We open in the Enchanted Forest. King George’s army chases Red and Charming as they ride across the snow covered fields. As they close in, Red decides to send Charming on ahead while she holds them off. She tells him to find Snow as she glances at the full moon over head. Red takes off her cape and charges at the soldiers, wolfing out.

(They're doomed)

Emma takes Mary Margaret’s mug shot while she protests her innocence. But Emma says she needs to go where the evidence leads and hopes that her roommate can clear everything up. Mary Margaret plans to do that and follows Emma to the interrogation room, determined to prove she isn’t that evil.

(The face of evil?)

In the Enchanted Forest, Snow White sweeps up the dwarfs’ cottage while humming “With a Smile and a Song” from the movie. A bluebird flies in and lands in on the table. Snow smiles at it…before trying to crush it with her broom. It takes flight and she swats at the bird as Grumpy asks what she’s doing. She says she’s getting rid of the vermin, chasing the bird out the window.

(Watch out!)

Grumpy says she’s changed since drinking Rumpelstiltskin’s potion but she insists she needed to forget about her prince. He asks her to come into the next room, which she agrees to do when she thinks it’s dinner. But she spies the other dwarfs but no food. Jiminy pops up and she tries to swat him away. He says her friends have something to tell her. Y’all, it’s an intervention! Let’s break out the banner from How I Met Your Mother!

Anyway, Grumpy reads a letter about how taking the potion changed her. Snow insists she needed to do it so she wasn’t in pain over her prince. Sneezy goes next, gripping about how she brought hay into the house despite the fact he’s allergic to it. She snaps that he’s allergic to everything and then says she shouldn’t be there with them. She should be in a palace with her father but she’s not because her stepmother killed him and wants to kill her.

That silences the dwarfs but Snow has gotten an idea. She decides to kill her stepmother. Jiminy tries to talk her out of it but she puts him in a jar before grabbing her bow. She’s like “Smell you later” and heads out to murder Regina.

(Princess on a mission)

There, Regina is waiting. Emma says that she’s there to make sure everything stays impartial given that Mary Margaret  is Emma’s roommate and friend. She wants to make sure everything stays above the board. Mary Margaret is nervous but agrees. 

(Oh, yeah. She'll be totally impartial)

As Emma starts recording, she admits that she had been to the toll bridge before since she used to meet David there while they were having their affair.

Emma gets up and retrieves the box they found. She puts it down in front of Mary Margaret, who grows upset. It’s her jewelry box but she doesn’t know how Kathryn’s heart got in it or how it got into the woods. Regina tells Mary Margaret that it’s okay, that she got angry because she thought Kathryn was keeping her from David and that she should just tell them the truth. Mary Margaret pulls her hand away from Regina while Emma asks the mayor to step outside.

(Trust your gut, Emma!)

She lays into Regina but the mayor has a point that everything points to Mary Margaret right now. Regina says that Emma might be biased because of her friendship with Mary Margaret. And Emma knows that all she has is her gut that her friend is not a killer. Regina says that anyone can be pushed to do the unspeakable.

She should know.

Snow ambushes a guard in the middle of the woods and demands answers from him. He’s reluctant to give them at first…until she threatens him with a dwarf pick axe, reminding him that diamonds are near indestructible but the pick axe can destroy it. Scared, he reveals that the queen will be journeying to the summer palace. Snow then knocks him out, yelling that the palace was a gift for her mother.

(You know this guard is rethinking every decision he's made up to this point)

Snow strips the unconscious guard of his uniform and struggles to put it on as Grumpy approaches her. He offers to help her, saying that Rumpelstiltskin should be able to change her back. Snow agrees to go, knowing how powerful the imp is.

(He may be grumpy but he's also loyal)

Emma examines her door at the loft and then the windows. Henry shows up and asks her what she’s doing. She says she’s trying to see if there’s anything she can find to prove that someone broke in to steal Mary Margaret’s jewelry box in order to frame her. But so far, she’s found nothing. Then she hears a strange sound coming from the ventilation vent by Mary Margaret’s bed. When she reaches into it, she pulls out a bloody hunting knife.

(Uh oh)

Ruby pours on the cinnamon for a dejected Henry before leaving him to mope at the counter. August sits down next to him, asking him if it’s about his teacher. Henry says he knows Mary Margaret is innocent but he can’t prove it. August tells him he won’t find his answers at the bottom of the mug…but he will find them in his book. This catches Henry’s attention and he asks August what he knows about the book. August says he’s a writer and he knows that what Henry has is a special book that is very real. Surprised to find someone who believes him, Henry asks why he’s here. August says he’s there to help Emma believe. He leaves Henry to ponder everything.

(Henry was never taught Stranger Danger, was he?)

Henry opens his book and finds a picture of Prince Charming, which comes to life.

Charming discovers the naked guard in the woods and demands he tell him what happened. He also takes pity on the poor man and tosses him a cloak to cover himself. The guard says he was attacked by Snow White, who is determined to kill the queen. Charming refuses to believe it, saying Snow would never do it. The guard’s like “Look, I saw her with my own eyes and she’s quite changed. Deal with it.” He reveals that she went to Rumpelstiltskin and Charming aways.

(Could this day get any worse?)

Regina peels an apple in her office as David enters, asking if he can talk to her. He says he can’t believe that Mary Margaret hurt Kathryn and talks about the blackouts he’s been experiencing. Regina tries to assure him that he didn’t hurt his wife and that we never really know someone. David still isn’t convinced Mary Margaret could be so evil. Regina tells him that evil could be looking him right in the eye and he’d never know.

If she could wear a flashing neon sign reading “I’m the Evil Queen,” she would.

Emma returns to the sheriff’s station to give Mary Margaret the bad news. She tearfully says she wouldn’t be able to find the ventilation vent in her room with a map. Emma believes she’s being set up but she just can’t prove it. She thinks it’s time for Mary Margaret to get a lawyer.

And in comes Gold. Turns out he’s a lawyer, saying he needed to know the ins and outs of contracts. Contracts and criminal law are two different things but hey, it’s Gold. He can apparently do everything! Emma isn’t thrilled with the idea of him representing Mary Margaret, she decides it’s in her best interest. She asks Emma to leave so she can find proof she’s being set up and so Mary Margaret can confer with Gold. She asks him why he’s interested in helping her and he replies that he’s interested in her future.

(Of course he's also a lawyer)

Grumpy and Snow arrive at Dark One Manor. Rumple reveals that he can’t undo the potion and he can’t make Snow love again. True Love is rare and one can’t bottle it. If he could, he’d be the most powerful person in all the realms.

Rumple then turns to Snow, saying that she didn’t come here to have her love restored. She says that’s true and says she wants to kill the queen. He offers to help her, giving her a map and a bow. He says any arrow fired with the bow will hit its target and the map will show her where to hide so she can hit Regina and not be seen. She asks why he’s giving it to her and he says that he’s invested in her future.

Can I just go on a side rant here? Because hearing about that bow just reminds me of another missed opportunity with Robin Hood. Did he have past dealings with Rumple besides what we saw in Heart of Gold? Did he get his bow from Rumple? Robin said he had a dark past—was that part of it? Why wasn’t Robin more developed, writers? Why kill off such a promising character?

Why?

YES I’M STILL BITTER!

Someone knocks on a door and Archie opens! Hi, Archie! It’s been awhile, hasn’t it? Anyway, David’s on the other side and he needs Archie’s help. He wants to know more about his black out spells and what he’s done in them. Archie agrees to help.

(Archie gets to make an appearance!)

Charming goes to Rumple and demands to know what happened to Snow. Rumple tells him about the potion and that there is no way to undo it. Charming says that’s not possible and Rumple drops a few hints about True Love’s Kiss. He just needs to find Snow. Rumple gives him the map to where Snow is going to kill Regina and only requests Charming’s cloak. Confused, he gives it before leaving. Rumple takes a deep whiff before rushing off, laughing.

(Weird)

Snow readies herself to take the shot that will kill Regina. However, Charming ambushes her and promises to make her remember. He kisses her but she pushes him off, saying she doesn’t know who he is so she doesn’t love him. Charming tries to convince her but she knocks him out instead.
This relationship seems awfully painful for him, not her.

(I think Charming should see a doctor)

Emma returns home to find Henry waiting for her. He says Regina is trying to set up Mary Margaret and he says he knows how she did it, holding up Regina’s ring of creepy skeleton keys. He tells Regina that they open every door in Storybrooke and starts trying keys. Emma says that while the keys are creepy, they aren’t going to open her door. Henry convinces her to try one more, picking one out. Emma slides it into her lock, turns the key and opens the door. She realizes that Henry’s onto something.

(Is this the key?)

Charming comes to and finds himself tied to a tree. It’s now night and Snow prepares to kill Regina. He tries to convince her that she doesn’t want to do that, that there will be no coming back from this once she does so. Snow asks him why he cares so much and he replies that he loves her, that he knows the real her. But she says all he has is words and she prefers actions. Which is why she’s going to kill the queen. As Charming yells her not to, Snow walks away.

(Snow almost listens. Almost)

David lies on Archie’s couch. He’s been put under hypnosis so that Archie can tap into his subconscious. He asks David what he remembers about the night Kathryn went missing. Now, David remembers talking with Kathryn on the phone. He says she said that she wanted to start a new life and that he wasn’t part of it. She told him to be with Mary Margaret and to be happy.

Then he starts to remember the scene we had just seen in the Enchanted Forest. He remembers calling out to Snow, pleading with her not to kill someone. Upset, David’s eyes pop open and he leaves Archie’s office, despite the therapist’s pleas not to.

(Wait! That was just nonsense!)

In the Enchanted Forest, Jiminy comes to David’s rescue. He eats through the rope holding David to a tree and offers him some advice: He needs to rescue Snow before she passes the point of no return. And he’s going to have to show her how much he loves her if words won’t sway her.

(Jiminy to the rescue!)

Regina rides on a horse, out in the open…Is she nuts? Or does she know Snow might attack her? Anyway, as she rides, her guards make sure the peasants know she’s passing and demand that they show her respect. Let’s all admire Queen Regina.

Snow readies her shot and lets loose her arrow as Regina rides past. But Charming runs in front of it, taking the arrow to the shoulder. Seriously, this relationship is dangerous to Charming’s health.

Despite the fact she’s angry he messed up her chance to kill the queen, she goes to check Charming. He says he couldn’t let her do it and so he took action, taking the arrow. He says he cares about her and doesn’t want her to do anything that could send her on such a dark path. Snow is touched by the fact that he cares about her and when they kiss, she remembers him and their love.

(Love always wins!)

Their reunion is sweet but short-lived. For King George’s men have caught up with Charming. They are a bit scratched up from Red’s attack but they capture him, hurting Snow in the process. Charming goes willingly to keep her safe, being loaded in the back of a paddy-wagon. As he clings to the bars, the wagon rolls away as Snow yells that she will find him.

(Role reversal)

Mary Margaret rests on the cot in her cell when she hears someone coming. Sitting up, she is surprised to see David. He tells her about what he saw in his vision and demands to know why he has that memory. She doesn’t know but David seems convinced that he’s remembering her killing Kathryn. He looks like he’s going to be sick.

Upset, Mary Margaret reminds him that when everyone thought he had been the one to kill Kathryn, she had stayed by his side. She had been the one to believe in his innocence and is now hurt that he won’t do the same for her. David doesn’t know what to think and she tells him to leave.

(Poor Mary Margaret)

Snow White returns to the dwarfs’ cottage, a sad and broken young woman. They glare at her as they eat their meal. She puts down a stein and says it’s to replace the one she broke. She also says she understands if they can’t forgive her because she acted really awful to them. Grumpy looks up and asks if it’s really her. She says it is and they rush to hug her.

(Group hug!)

She then says she can’t stay. They are confused but she explains that Charming was taken by King George’s men. She’s going to go rescue him. Grumpy says she’s not going by herself. He grabs his pick axe as do the other dwarfs. She has a little army behind her and she’s grateful for them.

Alone in the sheriff’s station, Mary Margaret is surprised to find something in her cell. She picks it up and discovers it is a key. Curious, she tries it in the lock to her cell and it opens. She stares at her chance at freedom when she hears someone coming. So she closes the door and hides the key.

(Why do all the keys have skulls?)

Emma comes in and tells Mary Margaret that the testing came back for the heart—it’s Kathryn’s. Mary Margaret asks if she believes she carved her rival’s heart out of her chest. Emma says she doesn’t and that she suspects Regina. Mary Margaret wonders why Regina would want to do frame her (oh, if she only had her memories) and Emma promises to find out. But she wants to do it properly so that she doesn’t end up embarrassed again. She tells Mary Margaret to sit tight.

(Mary Margaret knows she's doomed)

After leaving the station, Emma pays a visit to Gold. She asks for his help in trying to exonerate Mary Margaret. He wonders why she’s coming to him. Emma explains that she thinks Regina is framing her friend but every time she goes against her, Regina always manages to get the upper hand. Except when she got help from Gold to become sheriff. So she believes he’s her best bet to help free Mary Margaret. He’s game.

(Gold looks excited)

Back in the Enchanted Forest, Rumple removes a hair from Charming’s cloak. He then places it in the same vial he keeps Snow’s and they start to glow. Capping it, he places it in a spice rack with a heart on the label.

Yep. Rumple bottled True Love.

We end with a shot of the sheriff’s station, Mary Margaret’s cell empty and the door wide open.

Uh oh.

Things aren’t looking very good for Mary Margaret. While I know Regina just wants her to be miserable, I’m not really sure why she’s doing this. Her main goal is really to get rid of Emma and keep her from breaking the curse. So why focus on Mary Margaret? Why frame her for Kathryn’s death?

Next time: Emma and Mary Margaret end up in dangerous situations. 

Screen caps from here.