OUAT: The Quest for Power

Last time on “Once:” Emma’s rejection of Graham after discovering his affair with the mayor sent him drinking. When he kissed her, it sent him into a spiral of memories. Graham went searching for the truth and a concerned Emma tagged along for the ride.

The memories Graham recovered are about him as the Huntsman. He was raised by wolves and was shunned by the others for preferring the animals’ company. He was a man of honor but who would kill if need be. The Queen ordered him to kill Snow but he couldn’t after reading a letter she wrote to the queen. Instead, he sent the princess running for her life and tried to fool the queen. It didn’t work and so she took his heart, keeping him for her own tasks…and sexual pleasure.

In Storybrooke, Graham didn’t find the answers he was looking for but did find the strength to stand up to Regina. He ended it with her and she blamed Emma. When Graham continued to choose Emma over her, Regina crushed his heart and Graham died in a heartbroken Emma’s arms.

Harsh.

We open in the Enchanted Forest as Rumpelstiltskin sits at his spinning wheel. But he’s turning wool into yarn, not straw into gold. A young boy runs and tells him that they have come for someone. Rumple grabs his walking stick and limps out of his cottage after the boy.

Soldiers pull at a young girl while her parents try to hold her back. They insist that she’s too young, that she’s not yet sixteen. The soldier replies that the Duke lowered the age to fourteen and so its time for their daughter to go fight in the Ogre Wars. Her parents continue to plead for her to stay until they suddenly can’t breath. The guard smiles, saying the Dark One thinks their daughter is going to fight. Rumple and his son turn to see a figure all in black using magic in the distance.

(Cue the dramatic music!)

With the parents incapacitated, the soldiers ride off with their daughter. Rumple holds his son, Baelfire, closer as the boy points out his fourteenth birthday is in three days. He says they’ll come for him and Rumple says they’ll find away to keep him safe.


In Storybrooke, Gold hears Emma calling for him as she enters his shop. She finds him waterproofing something and the smell of his mixture has her reeling in disgust. He explains what it is and notices she’s still wearing the deputy’s badge. According to Gold, Graham died two weeks ago and so Emma’s been the acting sheriff that long. Now, she can be the real sheriff. But she’s still not comfortable wearing his badge yet.

Gold reveals that Graham rented from him and he has a box of the man’s stuff. He’s giving Emma first crack at them before he offers them to Regina. Emma reacts violently to that and Gold smiles. He encourages her to take something as it would be a shame if he had to throw them out. Gold pulls out two walkie-talkies, saying she could use them with her son. He tells her to cherish her moments with Henry because they’ll be gone sooner than she realizes.

(Two for the price of one!)

Emma find Henry at his palace playground and she gives him a walkie talkie. She says they can use it for Operation Cobra but Henry thinks its best if they put it on hold. He says Graham was one of the good guys and he died because he went up against Regina. Emma tells Henry that the autopsy showed it was natural causes but Henry knows the truth. He says that it’s too dangerous and that they can’t win against Regina. Emma realizes that he’s afraid something is going to happen to her. She tries to comfort him but he leaves, morose.

Group hug, Henry!

Going back to the sheriff’s office, Emma sees Graham’s badge on his desk. She remembers Gold’s words and she picks it up. Just as she’s about to clip it on, Regina comes in and stops her. Emma says that it’s been two weeks so the job is hers. Except Regina’s named a new sheriff—Sidney Glass. Emma is confused—Sidney is the editor-in-chief of the paper. What law experience does he have? Apparently covering the crime beat qualifies him. Emma sees right through it and knows that Sidney was chosen so she could regain control of the sheriff’s office. Regina fires her and tells her to leave.

(Emma is not happy)

Mary Margaret returns home to find Emma attacking her toaster with a knife and is like, “Okay, what’s going on and what did my poor toaster do to you?” Emma explains that Regina fired her and since she can’t take it out on the mayor, the toaster was her poor unsuspecting victim. Mary Margaret asks her why it bothers her so much and Emma’s not sure. All she knows is that she wants her job back.

("My roommate may be crazy")

As if on cue, someone knocks on the door and Mary Margaret opens it to reveal Mr. Gold there. He says he wants to talk to Emma so Mary Margaret makes herself scarce. Gold says he heard about what happened and wants to make himself Emma’s benefactor. She asks why and Gold reveals that he doesn’t like Regina either so they have a common enemy. He pulls out the town charter and tells her that people should read it more often. Emma looks intrigued.

(The town charter is kept in a binder? Not a proper book?)

It’s night in the Enchanted Forest and Rumple wakes Bae up. He tells his son to get dressed and that they have to leave. Bae asks if they can really run away but Rumple sees no other option. As they leave the village, a beggar man asks for alms. Rumple stops and gives him a few coins. The man thanks him and lets the two be on their way.

(Alms for the poor)

But the soldiers ride up and stop the duo. Rumple lies and says they are their way to a market. The chief soldier recognizes Rumple and calls him a coward who fled when he was sent to the front lines of the Ogre War. He mocks Rumple and then makes him kiss his boot. As Rumple lays curled up, humiliated, on the floor, the soldier turns to Bae. Bae is too young to know otherwise and admits that he’s 14 in three days. The soldier promises to return for him.

(Oh, Rumple)

The beggar man helps Rumple to his feet and offers to take care of him. He says he knows of way to solve Rumple’s problems.

Regina holds a press conference at City Hall and for a small town, Storybrooke sure has a lot of media outlets since there’s like five reporters there. Anyway, she says Sidney Glass will make the town safe and so she’s happy to appoint him sheriff. Emma steps in, though, and says he’s not the sheriff yet. Regina says its her right to appoint the sheriff but Emma points out the town charter says she can only appoint a candidate. She says the people get to vote on the sheriff and she’s running. Regina says then she’s going up against Sidney as she glares at Emma.

In the Enchanted Forest, the beggar man helps Rumple and Bae. He offers Rumple some ad…Wait. That’s Brad Dourif. I mean, the way he throws himself into his characters, it’s sometimes hard to realize but…Yes, that’s Brad Dourif. Oh, man, Rumple meets Grima Wormtongue. This is amazing.

(Hi, Brad Dourif!)

Back to the plot. Anyway, Brad Dourif tells Rumple that the Duke is so powerful because he has the Dark One under his thrall. He has a dagger which bears the Dark One’s real name on it. The Duke uses it to control the Dark One. He says that if Rumple can steal the dagger, he’ll have control of the Dark One. And if he kills the Dark One, he’ll become the new one. Then he’ll have the power and never have to kiss anyone’s boot again.

Rumple is tempted.

Regina storms into Gold’s store. She knows that Emma didn’t just go and find the town charter. She figures Gold is using Emma against her and she has it out with him. But he’s not deterred, even though Regina thinks he’s backed the wrong horse.

Someone needs to get a little bit more genre-savvy.

Emma meets up with Henry at Granny’s but he’s still in a dour mood. He hands her the day’s copy of the Storybrooke Mirror, in which Sidney has lobbed the first shots: He’s revealed Emma’s criminal past and the fact that Henry was born in prison. Henry asks if its true and Emma says it is, that she was locked up when he was born. But, she says, those records were supposed to have been sealed. Henry sees it as more proof that good can’t win and leaves, dejected.

(Oh come on, Sidney. You couldn't come up with something more witty?)

Angry, Emma storms into Regina’s office and demands to know how they got juvie records unsealed. Regina just smugs at her and pretty much says all’s fair. Emma says this isn’t fair and it’s setting a bad example for Henry, who is already depressed and needs hope. Regina tells her not to tell her how to raise her son. She opens the door to leave and gets knocked back by a fire.

(Uh oh)

The red flames give way to the red sky of the Enchanted Forest. Bae helps his father make torches and he asks his father why they’re doing it. Rumple reveals what Wormtongue told him and says that they are going to break into the palace to retrieve the knife. He says that though the Duke’s house is made of stone, the inside and roof are still made of fire. So they should create a good distraction.

Bae hesitates and says maybe it won’t be too bad if he goes to fight. Rumple says that they aren’t expecting him to fight but to die. He tells his son that the red in the sky represents the innocent blood spilled, not the fires from the ogres’ destruction. Rumple says he won’t sacrifice his only son, who he loves.

Bae asks his dad if it’s true, that he was a coward who ran. Rumple says he did because he had more to live for than die for. Bae asks if his mother is really dead and Rumple says she is. So Bae says he’ll help his dad.

(Is seriously concerned for his father)

Emma and Regina cover from being thrown back, except Regina’s hurt her ankle. She’s going to need help getting out and has to ask Emma for it. Emma looks between the mayor and the flames and jumps through the flames. Regina’s certain Emma has left her when she’s nearly covered in the material in a fire extinguisher. Emma comes back and helps her up, using the fire extinguisher to make a path so they could escape.

(Emma saves the day!)

The Storybrooke Fire Department pulls up as Sidney leads the media in getting pictures of Emma being a hero. Henry is proud to hear she saved Regina and Mary Margaret says they need to get a copy of the picture so they could use it in her campaign. Archie agrees. It seems Team Cobra plus Mary Margaret is now also Emma’s unofficial campaign team. How sweet. Meanwhile, Regina scolds Sidney, saying he shouldn’t be helping the competition. He’s like, “But I’m doing my real job?”

As Emma feels good and feels like a hero, she notices the items the fire department is depositing on the lawn. She recognizes a few items and her face falls.

("Maybe I shouldn't trust Mr. Gold")

Emma storms into Gold’s shop and says she knows he set the fire. He asks her if she has any proof and she says she remembered his waterproofing solution was flammable. But he says that’s not enough. Emma tells him that she doesn’t want to win by trickery. That she wants to be a hero for Henry and heroes don’t do that. Gold tells her it’s the only way to beat Regina as Emma leaves the shop.

Rumpelstiltskin and Bae approach the Duke’s palace with lit torches. Rumple sends his son away, back to safety. He then sets the palace on fire and steals the knife in the chaos.

(Burn, baby, burn)

He goes into the woods and holding up the dagger, he reads the name of the Dark One—Zoso. He calls it out and commands the man to appear before him. The hooded man does so and asks what Rumple wants him to do. He says that Rumple controls him and he’ll do whatever he wants. Rumple says the only thing he wants him to do is die. And then he stabs him.

As the Dark One crumples to the ground, Rumple gets a good look at his face. It’s Brad Dourif! Gasp! No, really, we probably all figured it out the moment we saw the guy’s name, right? Anyway, Rumple asks him why he gave him the instructions on how to kill him. Wormtongue says that he’s tired of being the Dark One and he recognized another desperate soul in Rumple. So he chose him to be his successor. Okay, then.

(He's really happy to die)

Wormtongue dies and his name vanishes off the dagger. Rumple pulls it out and holds it up to the light. His name now appears—albeit misspelled in an admitted error on the crew’s part. Oops. Anyway, the darkness fills Rumpelstiltskin and our Dark One is born.

(I guess there was no Spell Check)

Mary Margaret puts up campaign posters featuring the picture of Emma helping Regina from the fire. She runs into David, who is putting up posters for Regina. He says he’s helping since Kathryn is Regina’s friend and all. Mary Margaret is like, “Right. Wifey. Still married.” David tries to catch up with her but Mary Margaret races away. It’s several shades of awkward and you just want to tell them that they are destined to be together.

(He's so in love)

Emma gets ready for her debate with Sidney as she peers through the curtain. Henry is sitting in the front row with his mother. She looks torn as Mary Margaret comes up with a water bottle and index cards. She wishes Emma luck before going to take her seat.

Sidney presents his argument which isn’t much—just that he really loves Storybrooke. Yay? Emma freezes when it’s her turn before deciding to go with the truth. She says she’s not a hero and that Gold set the fire to make her seem like one. Emma says she doesn’t want to win like that so if it means she doesn’t win at all, so be it. People begin to murmur as Gold stalks out of the place. Well, as best as he can with his limp.

(Emma has to make a choice)

Emma goes to lick her wounds at Granny’s as Ruby keeps pouring her shots. She’s surprised when Henry hands her a walkie talkie and says Operation Cobra is back on. He says that it was brave of her to stand up to Gold and to admit the truth. So she’s still a hero, whether she wins or not.

Regina comes in and says she figured she’d find Emma there with a drink…and Henry. She gives her son a look that says they’ll be discussing that later as she talks to Emma about her speech at the debate. Emma says she needed to tell the truth and asks Sidney to tell her all about his party. Sidney tells her that it’s not his party and Regina reveals that Storybrooke has elected her the new sheriff. She hands Emma her badge and stalks off as Emma and Henry are swept up by the well-wishers coming to celebrate Emma’s win.

("I won?")

The soldier come for Baelfire but are stopped by the Dark One. They are confused…until they realize it’s Rumpelstiltskin. Then they realize that they are so screwed after the night before. In fact, Rumple makes their leader kneel and kiss his boot now. After he does so, Rumple uses his magic to snap the guy’s neck. He demands them to let Bae go and they do so, running off no doubt to tell the Duke he’s screwed in his fight against the Ogres.

("I knew my behavior was going to come back to bite me one day")

Bae is now frightened of his father. Rumple says he is no longer a coward and no one will hurt them ever again.

Except him but that’s for another episode.

Emma moves back into the sheriff’s office and I love the fact she has a giant of picture of Henry to put on her desk. I hope we get a sweep of her desk this season and see she’s added pictures of the Charmings and Hook to it now. Anyway, Gold comes in and congratulates her. He says his plan worked and that Emma confessing was part of it. She can’t believe that she once again played into his hands and if I didn’t know he was a master manipulator, I would say he just keeps pretending it was part of his plan. Then again, he wants Emma in his debt so maybe even that would be manipulation. Yeah, pretty much the bottom line is that Emma owes him big time.

("Can't tell if I was played or not.")

Oh boy.

Watching this episode as we prepare to head into Season 5 was great. To see how Rumple became the Dark One was great preparation for Emma as the Dark One. I think everyone should watch this one again before September 27th.

Next week: Hansel and Gretel appear and Emma feels a connection with them.

Screen caps from here.