OUAT: Who's Afraid of the Big, Bad Wolf?

Last time on OUAT Season 1: Emma investigated Kathryn’s disappearance, with Sidney and then Regina encouraging her to arrest David. Her gut told her that David wasn’t involved but she took him in for questioning anyway.

Meanwhile, Miner’s Day approaches and Mary Margaret had difficulty getting volunteers since no one wanted to work with her. But Leroy ended up volunteering after meeting Sr. Astrid. When he overheard that Sr. Astrid made a mistake that could cost the sisters’ their convent, Leroy vowed to help her make up the money they needed to pay Gold their monthly rent. Mary Margaret thought he done lost his mind.

They failed to sell any candles but Leroy lied to Sr. Astrid. He then tried to sell his boat to raise the money but Gold salivated at the chance to evict the sisters. Sr. Astrid discovered Leroy’s deception and ran off, betrayed.

In the Enchanted Forest, we learnt that dwarfs are hatched from eggs fully grown. They then get their names from their magical pick axes. And Grumpy was originally called Dreamy. He met a fairy named Nova (Sr. Astrid) and they fell in love, making plans to run off. But Chieffy the Dwarf and Blue convinced Dreamy otherwise. So he broke Nova’s heart and turned into Grumpy.

After a pity party with Mary Margaret, Leroy found a way to sell all the candles—he caused a blackout. Sr. Astrid forgave Leroy and Mary Margaret got the town’s forgiveness. Now, she just had to worry about David.

We open in the Sheriff’s station as Emma talks with David. She shows him Kathryn’s phone records but he swears he never talked to Kathryn. He didn’t even make that call. Emma says she knows he’s telling the truth but she can’t explain the phone records. She lets him go home but advises him to get a lawyer.

(We were paying that much for phone service?)

At Granny’s, Ruby and August have a conversation. He tells her all about his travels and Ruby is amazed. Especially as she’s never left Storybrooke. He tells her about seeing lemurs and what they are all while Granny keeps calling for her.

(Hell hath no fury)

In the Enchanted Forest, a young man knocks on a cabin’s window. The shutters open, revealing Red in her hood. She is giddy as she talks to the young man, Peter. She mentions that it’s not safe because Granny will catch them and give them hell. But Peter wanted to see her before joining the search party going after the wolf terrorizing their village. She gives him a kiss as Granny starts calling for her. Peter runs off.

(Ahh, young love)

Red goes into the next room to find a hunting party at their door. Granny tells them to just leave the wolf be and wait for the wolf’s time to pass. She tells them it’s best to just go home and hide. But they are determined to find the wolf, with or without her help. She shuts the door and tells Red to go to bed. Red reluctantly goes and Granny calls out for her to wear her cape—that it protects her from the wolf. Granny arms herself with a crossbow and takes a seat in front of the door.

(Do not mess with Granny)

Ruby yells at her grandmother for embarrassing her and Granny says she needs Ruby to start working Saturdays so she can start learning how to do the books. Ruby accuses her of punishing her for talking to August and wanting to keep her from doing anything fun. Granny says it’s time for her to grow up and she makes a snide comment about Ruby’s outfits. Ruby returns it before saying that Granny wants to keep her trapped in the diner but she wants to explore. So she quits and storms out of the diner.

(Ruby out!)

Morning comes to the Enchanted Forest. Red wakes up and checks on Granny, who is still in her chair with her crossbow. She says it’s time to get ready for the day and tells Red to check on the chickens. As Red prepares to leave, Granny reminds her to put on her red cloak.

Red collects eggs from the chickens when she senses that she’s not alone. She demands that whoever is in the barn show themselves and that’s when she finds Snow stealing eggs. Snow apologizes and gives the eggs back, meaning this must be in her early days as a bandit. Red invites her back up to the house and tells Snow her name. Snow first calls herself Frosty before admitting that someone is after her. Red is okay with not knowing her real name but needs something to call her. Snow first suggests Margaret before settling on Mary.

(Cutest bandit ever)

They head out to fetch water from the well as Red explains the situation with the wolf. She also tells Snow about Peter and how her grandmother is keeping them apart. Red sends a bucket down while something catches Snow’s eyes. She is horrified by what she sees and keeps pleading for Red to come see it. Red, though, is fascinated by the red water she has just drawn from the well. She finally goes to see what has “Mary” so upset…and finds the bloodied corpses of the village men who went after the wolf. Both grow hysterical at the sight.

(Poor things)

Emma and Mary Margaret talk about David as they walk down Main Street. They come across Ruby, who is being harassed by Dr. Whale. He is surprised to see Mary Margaret and then gets chased off by Emma. The two women turn back to Ruby, who is waiting at the bus stop with her bags, and ask her what she’s doing. She says she quit her job and is going off to explore the world. Emma asks if she has any particular destination in mind but she admits she doesn’t. When Emma points out that buses don’t really come through Storybrooke that often and that Ruby needs a plan, Mary Margaret offers her a place to stay. Ruby takes it.

("We're taking her home and that's final")

There’s a town meeting about the wolf. One man expresses his outrage and sorrow over all the men slaughtered. He thinks that if he was there, he could’ve saved them. Likely, he would’ve been dead and Granny points that out as she enters with Red and Snow. Peter watches from his seat as the older woman once again pleads with them to leave the wolf alone.

Granny goes on, explaining about how a wolf terrorized her town when she was a young girl. She says she snuck out of her house one night and watched from the roof as her father and brothers tried to fight against the wolf. But it was so fast, they hardly had time to scream let alone fight back. She watched as it killed her family and then she fell from the roof into its path. It bit her arm but didn’t kill her. She breaks down as she pleads with them to not chase after the wolf. To just wait it out and hide.

(Ouch)

They don’t listen.

Of course.

Snow and Red have some girl talk in her room after the meeting. They talk a bit about the wolf but Snow is more interested in the boy Red was making eyes at during the meeting. Red says he’s her old friend Peter but that they’ve become more lately. However, Granny doesn’t approve and Red’s convinced she’s using the wolf as an excuse to keep them apart. Snow says Granny is right to protect Red from the wolf but wrong to keep her from Peter. People in love should be together.

(Becoming fast friends)

That gives Red an idea. She thinks she and Snow should kill the wolf together. Then Granny won’t have a reason to keep her and Peter apart. Snow doesn’t think it’s a good idea, given how it killed the hunting party the night before. Red says that the wolf will be asleep now, so they can surprise it and kill it in its sleep. Snow is still unsure but she agrees to go.

Mary Margaret drives her station wagon—which still says “Tramp” on it—to the town line and begins walking through the woods. As she walks, no doubt looking for clues about Kathryn’s disappearance, she finds David wandering through the forest. When she tries to talk to him, though, he doesn’t respond. He seems to be in a fugue state and he just walks off, concerning her.

(Earth to David...Come in, David)

Red and Snow go investigating in the snow covered woods. Snow is horrible at tracking and Red teases her about it. They come across a large print in the snow and Red declares it from the wolf. Snow wonders how big the wolf is and questions if it’s the right decision to go after it. Especially after she sees how long its stride is. But Red is determined and pushes on, so Snow follows.

(Those are big paw prints)

Ruby and Henry hang out in the Sheriff’s station, looking up jobs for her. He says there’s a bike messenger job but Ruby isn’t thrilled about it, surprising him. The phones ring and she asks if they always do that. Henry explains that the emergency number is routed to Emma’s office and she picks up. First, she takes a message and then takes another call. She explains to the caller that there isn’t a prowler in her yard but Archie’s dog, Pongo. She advises the woman to throw him a treat and he’ll leave her alone.

(She's a natural!)

Emma had entered during the call and she’s impressed. Ruby tries to play it off but Emma says she has money in the budget, so she offers her a job. Ruby is thrilled and is happy to go get Emma’s lunch for her. Once she’s gone, Henry tells his mother that she’s Red Riding Hood but Emma can’t see it.

Mary Margaret rushes in and tells Emma about David. She says he’s wandering the woods and she’s concerned. So is Emma.

(She feels so bad)

Red and Snow notice that the wolf prints transform into boot prints. Snow is boggled but Red recalls stories of people who can transform into wolves. She wonders if they are dealing with that as they come upon Granny’s cabin. Noticing that the prints end at Red’s window, Snow asks what it means.
They talk it out and realize that Peter was the last person Red spoke to the night before. And he wasn’t with the hunting party. She realizes that Peter is the wolf.

(It's like something out of a Christmas card)

Ruby returns to Granny’s diner and says she’s there to pick up Emma’s order. She then tells Granny all about her new job, how she’s helping Emma and helping people. Granny doesn’t really respond, except to comment that it seems she is doing the same thing she did at the diner. It riles Ruby up and she just keeps talking and talk until Emma’s order is ready. Then she storms out, upset.

(That don't impress me much)

Red meets with Peter and tells him her suspicions. Peter doesn’t think he’s the wolf and doesn’t have the memories but they assume it must disappear when he transforms back into a human. He can’t believe that he killed everyone and Red suggests a way to keep him from hurting anyone else. She offers to tie him up but he suggests chains. He then tells her to leave him alone but she insists on staying. She tells him that she wants to be with him forever, wolf or not.

(Star-crossed lovers)

Henry puts his book in Emma’s desk as she comes out to tell him it’s time for him to go meet Regina. He bids her farewell and leaves. When Ruby returns with lunch, Emma can tell that she’s down in the dumps. She admits that she wants to do more and not just be an errand girl. So Emma packs up the lunch and tells her to come with her—they are going to go looking for David in the woods.

(Ruby gets her adventure!)

Ruby and Emma trek through the woods as Ruby asks what it means that David is out there. Emma is more focused on finding him rather than worry about why just yet. Ruby stops and says she heard something. She says he’s nearby and leads Emma right to him. He’s unconscious and Emma rouses him, concerned about the cut on his head. He’s confused and when asked what his last memory is, he replies that it’s leaving her office. Emma is now very concerned.

(Charming Floor?)

Emma gets David some medical treatment. Whale says it appears to be similar to the incident he had when he first woke up, when Mary Margaret and Emma found David wandering by the toll bridge. He says it might be related to his coma and that he could have these periodic episodes where he blackouts. Whale’s not sure and wants to keep an eye on David.

David wonders if this explains why he doesn’t remember making the call to Kathryn. That he blacked out and was acting without realizing it. He then wonders what else he’s done while not entirely with it and you know he fears he did something to hurt Kathryn. Emma tries to calm him down but even she’s growing more suspicious.

(She tries to be reassuring)

Regina bursts in and demands that Emma stop interrogating David without a lawyer present. Emma insists that it’s not an interrogation, she was just getting David medical treatment. She then asks why Regina’s there and Whale reminds Emma that she’s David’s emergency contact. Emma thought it would’ve transferred to Kathryn but Whale reminds her that she’s missing. So the hospital called Regina. And Regina demands that Emma find out what happened to Kathryn but leave David alone without his lawyer.

(Regina means business)

Yet at no point does Emma question why Regina is now defending David when in the last episode, she was pressuring Emma to bring him in. Hello? Someone? Bueller?

Emma calls Ruby and tells her to take the bug to the woods. She doesn’t want David going back out there and hiding any evidence. Ruby is surprised that Emma’s now considering him a suspect but Emma doesn’t know what to think. She just has a feeling that there might be something relevant down by the toll bridge and needs Ruby to go there. Ruby is hesitant but Emma assures her she can do it.

(This is your moment, Ruby)

So Ruby goes searching down by the toll bridge, on the phone with Emma the entire time. She asks for any clues about what she should be looking for and Emma is zero help, just telling her that she’ll know what it is. Ruby looks around before digging something up. It’s an elaborate box that looks like the ones from Regina’s vault…this can’t be good. Ruby opens it and begins screaming, dropping her phone as Emma calls out to her.

(What a pretty box)

Granny goes to check on Red and is concerned that she can’t find “Mary.” As she keeps asking Red if she’s seen her, she gets suspicious until she pulls back the red cloak to reveal Snow instead of her granddaughter. Granny panics but Snow tries to assure her, saying that they know Peter’s the wolf but Red has him tied up and is staying with him because she loves him and it’s beautiful and they should be together and this is a run-on sentence because Snow pretty much spit this all out in one breath, I swear. Granny says that they have to go save Peter because he’s in danger.

Because Peter’s not the wolf. Red is…and she’s now staring at dinner while Peter struggles against the chains, trying to remind her of who she is.

Poor Peter.

Emma and Ruby stare down at the box back in the sheriff’s office. Ruby asks if it’s what she thinks it is and Emma confirms it. She then uses a glove to close the box while Ruby looks close to throwing up. It has really rattled Ruby and she’s starting to question if maybe the life she thought she wanted was really the life she wants. She says she wants to help people but isn’t sure this is the right way to do this. Emma supports her no matter what she decides.

(Poor thing's been traumatized)

Snow and Granny trek through the woods in search of Peter and Red. As they go, Snow picks up that Granny may know more than she’s been saying and begs to know everything. Especially when she wonders how Granny is tracking Red. So Granny explains that the wolf bit her and turned her into a wolf herself. She had stopped changing years go but still passed it onto her daughter (she thinks. Her daughter is dead) and granddaughter. The cloak Red was supposed to always wear was enchanted by a wizard to prevent her from changing but she never wore it. Granny realizes that maybe she should’ve told Red everything but she just wanted to protect her from all the ugly in the world. And Snow can understand that. But she thinks it might definitely be time to come clean.

Granny holds up her crossbow, explaining she has special silver tipped arrows that will take Red down. Once that’s happened, Snow is to put the cloak on. And they have to act fast—they can’t save Peter, but they can save Red from the angry mob. So Granny shoots her granddaughter and Snow puts the cloak on. Red is disoriented and Granny tells Snow to take her and run. Snow tries to get her to move but Red is more focused on Peter. She spots the carnage as Snow sadly tells her that Peter wasn’t the wolf. Red realizes what she did and Granny apologizes. She tells her to run and Snow finally pulls Red away as the mob closes in.

(Really don't mess with Granny)

The next day, Ruby returns to the dinner. She’s dressed more conservatively in a red flannel shirt and jeans. Ruby’s also more subdued and she apologizes to Granny. She says she had her adventure and now she wants to come back to the diner. Granny welcomes her back and explains that she wanted Ruby to learn how to do the books because one day, she wants to give the diner to her. She says she could only give it to someone who she loves and who loves her. They hug it out.

(Happy ending!)

David and Mary Margaret are at the animal shelter. He’s really concerned about the black outs and that he might be guilty. She tries to assure him that he wouldn’t hurt Kathryn, even if he was out of it, as Emma enters. She says that they haven’t found Kathryn but they found a box in the woods that contained a human heart. Emma looks ready to throw up even talking about it.

Overwhelmed, David nearly collapses as Mary Margaret says he couldn’t have hurt Kathryn. She says Emma knows that and demands her friend to prove it. Emma replies that they dusted the box for prints and cleared David. However, a print they found on the inside lid belonged to Mary Margaret. She gives her friend a sympathetic glance as David recoils from a shocked Mary Margaret.

Well, that was a twist.

It was nice to get some Ruby/Red backstory. And it was a nice twist on both Red Riding Hood AND Peter and the Wolf. Though I do feel sorry for Peter. Poor man.

Ruby certainly did a lot of growing in this episode as well. It was nice to see.

David’s blackout spells are interesting. I wonder if it will be explored more. Hmm…

Next time: Mary Margaret deals with accusations that she killed Kathryn.

Screen caps from here.