OUAT: In Which Someone Tries to Outshade Blue

Last time on “Once:” Charming and Arthur went on a quest to find a toadstool that could help them talk to Merlin while he’s stuck in the tree. Charming and Arthur bond over shared experiences and a near-death experience in a bog filled with undead warriors. Even though they lost the toadstool, Arthur invited Charming to join the Round Table and to take the Siege Perilous, a great honor. As he did that, Snow discovered Lancelot was still alive and he warned her to not trust Arthur.

Also, Regina threatened Zelena but promised to make sure her child with Robin is loved and cared for.

In Storybrooke, Arthur asks David for his help in finding a magic bean that will help everyone get back to Camelot. David manages to discover that Arthur’s squire Grif took it. Except he everything but swears there was no bean. In the process, David finds the toadstool again and gives it back to Regina.

But we then learned that Arthur was shady, just like Lancelot said. He had set everything up to earn David’s trust and then encouraged Grif to drink poison. He admitted to wanting to set up a new Camelot in Storybrooke and can’t risk anyone finding out he’s playing the heroes. Meanwhile, Hook and Emma had a talk wherein he broke her heart but it was also a trick so Emma could get the last ingredient needed to revive Gold, who she planned to turn into a hero. Hook asked Robin for help getting behind the NOT SUSPICIOUS AT ALL door and Belle tried to figure out where her husband went.

Take a deep breath and let it go. Ready? Let’s begin.


Most of the episode takes place in Camelot, flashing between the present and the past. We start in the past, when Arthur and Guinevere were just wee children, not much old than what Henry is supposed to be…

(Look at these cuties!)

Anyway, it seems Arthur and Guinevere are childhood sweethearts. He brings her to a tree and we learn it is the one Merlin is supposedly stuck in. So I guess the story Arthur told Hook two weeks ago was just that—a story? Then again, Arthur could’ve blurted it out as a young thing. Wee!Arthur gives Wee!Guinevere a rose and promises that when she’s queen, he’ll shower her with roses every birthday.

Some older kids snicker and Arthur sees they’ve set up a sword in a stone. They tease him about his supposed destiny and Guinevere stands up for him. He tells her that it won’t matter once he’s king and has the real Excalibur.

We zoom through the scenes from the premiere where Kay tries to take the sword, gets turned into dust and then Arthur pulls the sword. He returns to the village and shows them enough of Excalibur that they fall to their knees before their new king but don’t know that it’s broken. Arthur only shows Guinevere and they vow to make Excalibur whole.

In the present, Arthur summons Charming to the Round Table. He tells him it’s time for him to reveal Camelot’s greatest secret. Laying Excalibur on the table, Charmin realizes the sword is broken. Arthur tells him he’s been searching for its missing half—the Dark One’s dagger. He says once together, Excalibur will be a mighty weapon and that it will destroy the Dark One. This gives Charming something to think about.

(Charming is troubled)

It seems Emma has found a hobby to keep her occupied when she’s not getting the sleep she looks like she so desperately needs. Several dream catchers fill a window and she’s in the process of making another one when she hears voices calling for her. That’s not a good sign, Emma. 

(Someone's been really busy)

But Rumpelsiltskin says that the dagger is calling for its mate—calling out to Excalibur and her. He encourages her to take it but she’s blown back by Regina’s protection spell. Rumpelstiltskin taunts her and she tries to use magic to get rid of him. She almost takes out Hook instead. He hugs her, trying to console her as she reaches a nervous breakdown.

Charming comes back as Snow, Regina, Henry and Hook tend to a shaken Emma. Regina vows to hide the dagger better while Charming tries to convince them to give it to Arthur. Snow won’t hear any of this and Regina suggests getting Emma out of the room. Hook and Henry take care of her.

Once they are gone, Charming goes back to trying to convince Snow to trust Arthur. But she says Lancelot told her not to. Charming reminds her that Lancelot is dead but she says he really is alive. They then realize Regina is still in the room (which is her bedroom) and they ask her to leave. She does so and the Charmings continue to argue about whether or not they should trust Arthur or Lancelot.

(Trouble in paradise?)

We cut back to a few years ago and find a crazed Arthur going through his papers. He seems to discover something and cries out in joy as Guinevere enters. She reminds him that there is a party going on and he promises to come down to dance with her soon. He’s just close to finding the missing piece of Excalibur. Guinevere sighs the sigh of a long-suffering wife and leaves.

The people of Camelot dance while Guinevere mopes in a corner. Lancelot comes over, trying to cheer her up but she’s in no mood. We realize why as a woman starts throwing rose petals in the air in honor of the queen’s birthday. Oh, snap. Arthur is ignoring Guinevere on her birthday. Not the smartest move.

(Poor Guin)

Lancelot comes over and tries to cheer her up. She confides in their friend that Arthur is obsessed with making Excalibur whole and she’s not feeling loved. Lancelot tries to cheer her up but Guinevere is no fool. She knows her husband didn’t plan any of this and thanks Lancelot. He asks her to dance and she accepts. They have a moment.

Arthur breaks the moment but not because he recognizes it as a moment. He’s made a breakthrough and believes he knows where the dagger is. He celebrates with Guinevere, still oblivious to the fact that he’s crashing her birthday party. Way to go, Arthur.

In the present, Charming returns to the Round Table and pours his heart out to Arthur. He admits that Emma is the Dark One and they are trying to save her. He apologizes for deceiving Arthur but they had to protect their daughter. Arthur seems to understand and is more forgiving when Charming reveals that Lancelot is still alive. Arthur tells him that Lancelot betrayed him and Charming points out that Guinevere did play a role in that. She emerges from the shadows, saying that the legends are only half the story. Do tell, Guin.

Lancelot catches Guinevere trying to sneak out of the village. She reveals that she’s wearing the gauntlet from last season’s midseason finale, the one that will reveal anyone’s weakness. Guinevere explains that she knows the dagger will be Arthur’s weakness so she’s using the gauntlet to help her find it so she can get her husband back. Lancelot says he’s going with her.

(Hey, they brought it back!)

The gauntlet leads them to the Dark One’s vault and Guinevere uses Arthur’s research to put in the password. Black goo fills it and reveals a spiral staircase. Lancelot and Guinevere head down, careful as they explore the vault. But a dark cloud attacks Lancelot, just like the darkness attacked Emma. Guinevere springs into action and is able to disperse the darkness, saving the knight. As they clutch each other, their moment turns into a kiss.

(There it is)

That…seems exactly like the legend. But I guess there’s more for us to learn. Anyway, Charming does the incredibly stupid thing of handing the dagger over to Arthur. Except the box is empty.

(Take that, Charming!)

Snow walks into Granny’s and Lancelot emerges from the back. She explains she and Charming are fighting, so they have to go hide the dagger. Lancelot says he knows the perfect spot.

(Regina is going to kill both Charmings)

Wondering where Henry took Emma and Hook? He took them to the stables! But not any old stables. No, these are owned by Violet, the girl from the ball. He asks Hook and Emma to hide. Emma looks slightly disturbed while Hook looks very proud. They oblige as Violet comes running in, thinking there’s an intruder. She smiles when she sees Henry and offers to take him horseback riding. He accepts.

(Spying parents)

Once they leave, Emma steps out and is like “When did my son suddenly get interested in girls? Wasn’t he a fresh faced kid trying to get me to believe in fairy tales like yesterday?” But Hook wants to focus on Emma. He says that he has an idea on how to get Rumple out of her head: a horse ride of their own.

Breaking away, Lancelot and Guin decide to focus on their quest. Guinevere follows the gauntlet as it leads her through a door…into the Enchanted Forest. She spots the dagger, just sitting there. Uh, Guin, I think this applies:

But Guin goes for the dagger and is repelled. Rumple shows up to taunt her but the audience is just scratching their heads. Because the time stamp told us that this takes place “Five years ago”…but the curse was only broken two years ago in the show. The writers took to the internet to explain that time was frozen during the 28 years under the curse, so it seems like five years ago but it’s really 33 years ago. So that’s why Rumple is there rather than stuck as Mr. Gold in Storybrooke.

Of course he’s not going to let his dagger walk away with anyone…especially if it can be reunited with the one (of many) things that could destroy him. But he offers Guin a solution—magical dust that will make anything whole. All she has to do is give him the gauntlet She agrees to take it because Guin doesn’t know the first rule of the show:

DO. NOT. TRUST. THIS. MAN.

Hook and Emma trek through the woods and Emma asks why they aren’t taking the horse. Hook tells her to be patient. They stop by an open field and Hook tells Emma to approach the horse. However, it’s spooked when she approaches and Rumple teases that it’s smarter than the pirate. Hook tells Emma to ignore the imp in her head and to trust him. She hesitates and he tells her to get on the horse. Emma does so.

Snow and Lancelot arrive in the Enchanted Forest and Snow gets a feeling of déjà vu. She recognizes the landscape from her vision about Emma from “The Best Laid Plans,” where she saw her teenage daughter ripping out her heart. Lancelot notices her distress and she tells him about her vision. She says that maybe it was warning her about Emma becoming the Dark One.

Lancelot and Snow go to replace the dagger when they are interrupted by Arthur. He demands that they hand over the dagger or he’ll destroy Emma. Lancelot is surprised but Arthur says he doesn’t want Merlin to be freed. Snow has no choice and gives it to him.

Arthur holds up the dagger and demands the Dark One to appear. He’s confused when nothing happens. Snow smiles and asks if he thought she’d really give him the real dagger. Snow tricked him y’all! And it turns out Charming was in on it the entire time since he shows up holding his sword on Arthur. They explain they had to see who they could really trust, so they set up the ruse. Lancelot asks if the fight was faked then but that was real. Snowing rounds up Arthur and heads back to Camelot.

(Yay! Charming was on the right side this time!)

Guin and Lancelot return to Camelot. They hug before parting, Guin heading back to the palace. But someone has been watching them—Arthur. And he’s not pleased.

(Uh oh)

Guin sneaks up to his study, determined to use the powder on the sword. But Arthur catches her, interrogating her about Lancelot. Guin explains that he helped her on her quest to find Excalibur’s missing half. Arthur asks if they were successful and Guin reveals the powder. She says they can use it on the sword and he can finally have the kingdom he was promised. But she’s going to go with Lancelot. So Arthur takes some of the dust and sprinkles it on Guin. When it settles, she’s devoted to him again and all lovey-dovey as they use the dust to create the Camelot we’ve been seeing.

Arthur is a douche.

But wait! It gets worse!

Snow and Charming take a tied up Arthur back to Granny’s. They decide to reveal him to be a snake to the people of Camelot but wonder who will rule Camelot in his stead. Lancelot responds that Camelot’s true leader has always been its queen. They think everyone will believe Lancelot. Arthur thinks otherwise as a mob approaches Granny’s. Guin sneaks in through the back with some knights and frees Arthur. Snowing and Lancelot plead with her but she sticks with her husband. At his nod, she then uses the dust on them as Lancelot is taken into custody.

(Uh oh)

In her rooms, Regina paces as Robin watches. He tells her that Snow and Charming are fine but she says she’s not worried about them. She just wants to know who she should hate. Robin gives her a look but pretty much has accepted this part of her since they broke into her palace back in Season 3B. Snow and Charming then show up, insisting they can trust Arthur. They tell Regina to give him the dagger and she’s like “But I spent all day hiding it!” She and Robin exchange glances and it seems Outlaw Queen senses something is up.

(The soulmates are not convinced)

Down in the dungeons, Lancelot rages against his fate. Someone with a Scottish brogue asks him what has him all riled up. He says he is going to get out of there and stop Arthur. The person appears at the bars, revealing herself as Merida. She says that if his enemy is Arthur than that makes them friends.

(Hi, Merida!)

Emma and Hook race across the field on the horse. The entire Captain Swan fandom sighs in unison as Emma’s white cape billows behind her and she clings to her pirate. They arrive at a field full of the same roses Arthur showers Guinevere with and they talk about their relationship. Pretty much they’re in it for the long haul and Emma sees them having a future together. They share a kiss in a scene that would do any romance movie proud.

I’ll give the Captain Swan fandom a moment to regain their composure.

In Storybrooke, Emma returns home and goes back down to her lair. Gold tells her that she’s just hurting the people she loves. He knows that very well, telling her that he always fooled himself into thinking he was acting in the best interest of Bae or Belle, but really he was just pushing them away by his lies and manipulation. He begs her to let him go.

She tells him he’s going to become a hero and she knows the person who will make him one. Emma goes to her yellow bug, parked in the shadows of an underpass so no one notices that she has Merida tied to the grill. Where was she keeping her before that? Anyway, Merida is not in the mood to do what Emma wants…so Emma takes her heart again.

Uh oh.

So Arthur is really a villain. Looks like Lancelot was right. I also thought they were setting Guinevere up to be a Lady Macbeth but she’s also a victim of Arthur. So time for a new quest: Save Guin 2k15! Who’s in?

Next time: Oh god, the pain. Bring tissues.

Screen caps from here.