OUAT: Even Dwarfs Have Dreams

Last time on Once Upon a Time’s first season: Kathryn told David that she had been accepted into law school in Boston. After talking with Mary Margaret, he agreed he was going to tell Kathryn about them and that he couldn’t go to Boston. He did tell her the latter but omitted the former. Regina told Kathryn about the affair, leading her to confront Mary Margaret in the school hallway. Mary Margaret was heartbroken to learn David lied to her and that she was now the town harlot. She decided to break it off with David.

Emma learned the name of the mysterious stranger—August. He invited her out for that drink, taking her to the wishing well. However, he didn’t tell her he took the storybook and did something weird with it. He let her find it in a storm drain and she returned it to Henry, both excited.

In the past, Charming made a break for it ahead of his marriage to Princess Couldn’t Care Less. George’s soldiers pursued but Charming got an assist from an unlikely ally—Princess Couldn’t Care Less herself! She revealed she was in love with one of her father’s soldiers, Frederick, but he was turned to gold while saving Midas. There was a way to turn him back and she asked Charming to go get water from Lake Nostos.

Charming did so, facing down a nymph along the way. She transformed herself into Snow White to trap him but he was able to fight back, saving himself from the fate that had befallen others who had tried to get the water. He returned with the water, allowing Abigail to free Frederick. They were reunited and Abigail wished Charming luck in finding Snow.

He found Red instead and the two rode away from King George’s army in hopes of finding Snow.
Kathryn decided to give David and Mary Margaret her blessing and left Storybrooke. Regina stole the letter she wrote David, though, and burned it.

At the same time, the gym teacher found Kathryn’s car off the road…and abandoned.

Uh oh.

We open above the clouds. The Blue Fairy sits there and watches as a fairy in pink crash lands on one of the clouds. She holds up a bag before popping up to reveal everyone’s favorite adorably quirky actress—Amy Acker! She’s playing Nova, who is a fairy who longs to be a fairy godmother. Blue laughs at this dream and says she needs to master delivering the fairy dust, their most precious commodity, before she can do anything else. Disappointed, Nova follows Blue as some fairy dust falls out of the bag and dances on the wind.

(Hi, Amy Acker!)

The camera zooms down below ground where a dwarf says a giant egg is about to hatch. Another dwarf doesn’t believe so, saying that the whole group isn’t due to hatch until that night. But the first dwarf says that one must be impatient.

As they watch, the egg is broken up. Leroy leans out, his beard long and his expression wide-eyed. He’s also smiling as he takes in his new world. The other two dwarfs welcome him to it.

(Welcome, Dwarf!)

In Storybrooke, Leroy cracks open his egg as he eats at Granny’s. Two men (Sneezy and someone else) approach him and ask if he can move over so they can sit together. He tells them that he’s not moving. But then Sneezy, well, sneezes and sprays his breakfast. Disgusted, Leroy tosses down his napkin and gets up to leave.

(Granny is about to get a bad review on Yelp)

At that moment, Mary Margaret enters. She gets everyone’s attention as Emma watches and reminds them that Miner’s Day is coming up. She says there’s a street fair planned and as always, the sisters will be selling their beautiful candles. But they need volunteers to help with everything and she asks if anyone wants to sign up.

No one volunteers. Leroy approaches Mary Margaret and tells her that no one is going to want to work with the town harlot. She asks why he came up to her then and he reminds her that she’s blocking the door. Mary Margaret moves and he leaves.

(Mary Margaret needs a hug)

Realizing that he was right, Mary Margaret flees Granny’s and Emma pursues. She catches up with her friend and asks for more information about Miner’s Day. Mary Margaret explains it’s a long tradition in Storybrooke, even though no one works in the mines anymore. She says all her volunteers quit because of her and now she’s scrambling.

(It's like watching a sad puppy)

Emma gets a call and grows concerned. She tells Mary Margaret that duty calls but she’ll help her in any way possible. Mary Margaret thanks her but once Emma leaves, her face falls as she knows she won’t get any more volunteers.

Leroy wanders into the Miner’s Day festival setup and gets what looks like fake snow dumped on him. He grows grumpy and looks up to see who did it…and falls in love when he sees it’s Amy Acker, dressed as a sister. Oh, Leroy.

(Meet cute!)

Amy Acker is Sister Astrid and she apologizes for dropping the fake snow on him. She explains that she’s having trouble with the electronics and he offers to help. He climbs up and is able to fix it, amazing Sister Astrid. She praises him and he says it was nothing, that he works as a custodian.

Sister Astrid is really impressed by Leroy, which surprises him. Most people aren’t interested in him. But she wants to know more. He tells her about a boat he bought and wants to fix up to sail around the world. Sister Astrid thinks it sounds lovely and hopes she could see that boat one day. He promises to take her out. She thanks him, excusing herself to see to something else. Leroy watches her leave, smitten.

Emma examines Kathryn’s car and starts to take pictures. Sidney shows up and she’s like “How did you know?” He reveals that he’s trying to get his job back at The Mirror and the editor threw him a bone. Emma says she doesn’t have much yet—she doesn’t even know that Kathryn is missing. For all she knows, she decided to walk away from the car. Sidney is not sure and says it’s suspicious that she’s missing after finding out that David cheated on her. He insinuates that David had something to do with it but Emma doesn’t think so. As David pulls up, Sidney says she can find out once and for all.

(Go away, Sidney)

Back in the Enchanted Forest, Leroy is given a hair cut and is given clothes to wear instead of his long johns. Along with him, the other dwarfs are given their own clothes—with Doc being set up with a pair of glasses. All the while, the chief dwarf tells them that they work in the mines to dig out the jewels that are crushed to make fairy dust, the land’s most precious commodity.

Leroy asks about the woman he saw but the other dwarf is confused. So Leroy explains that before he hatched, he saw a beautiful woman who dropped dust. He said he had broken out so he could see her. The other dwarf says it must’ve been a dream for there are no female dwarfs. That’s why they are hatched. Leroy, though, hopes she is real and that he sees her one day.

(Off to find the Arkenstone?)

The dwarfs head into the mines, receiving their pick axes. When they get their axe, it reveals their name. The first dwarf gets his and dubs him Stealthy. You know, the one that bit it a few episodes back. Leroy gets his and is dubbed Dreamy.

Leroy enters a room in the convent, finding Mary Margaret at a desk. He tells her he came to sign up but she doesn’t believe him. He convinces her, though, that he’s serious and points out that she can’t afford to turn people away. Mary Margaret realizes he’s right and explains that they will be selling the candles the sisters’ make. He asks how many they have to sell and she says 1000. She then says that last year, they sold 42. It seems they have a challenge ahead of them.

(She's not too sure about this)

I’m just going to put this here because of something that bugged me. Throughout the episode, the words “nun” and “sister” were used interchangeably. Maybe it’s because I’m a Catholic who had it drilled into me, but I know they cannot be used that way. A “nun” is a woman who has taken vows and remains cloistered—meaning she spends her days separated from society, devoted to prayer and meditation. A “sister” is a woman who has taken vows but goes out into society to tend to the needs of the people. These are the ones who become teachers, missionaries, nurses, etc. So this order in Storybrooke are sisters, not nuns.

Across the room, Sister Astrid reports to Mother Superior. It seems that she goofed when ordering the helium and got 12 canisters, which blew their budget. Especially as the company won’t take it back. Mother Superior tells her to fix the mistake or else they won’t be able to make their rent for the month. And Gold is looking for any reason to evict them. Because of course he is.

(What is her problem?)

Despondent, Sister Astrid stares at the canisters. Leroy comes over and promises to sell all the candles so that the sisters have enough money to pay their rent. Mary Margaret is very surprised and concerned behind him but Sister Astrid is overjoyed, thanking him.

("Leroy's done lost his mind!")

David peppers Emma with questions but she says she’s the one who needs answers from him. She says everyone knows what happened between Kathryn and David. He knows it didn’t end well but to his knowledge, she was going to register for law school in Boston. David doesn’t know where he is and didn’t do anything to her. Emma believes him and sends him on his way.

(Emma using her super power)

Phone records with Kathryn’s name prints out and Regina picks them up from the printer. She looks them over before calling Sidney, telling him she has those records he wanted.

This is shady.

In the mines, jewels are crushed into a fine pink dust. It flows through wooden pipes and pours into a leather bag. Amy Acker watches it, mesmerized, before going to stop it. However, she can’t pull on the lever and struggles. Dreamy comes to her rescue, helping her pull down the lever and stop the flow of fairy dust before her bag overflows.

(Cutest. Fairy. Ever)

She thanks him and they get to talking. He realizes that she was the woman he saw the year before and she wonders where. Dreamy reveals that he’s never left the mines, though he longs to sail around the world. Amy understands and would love to do that.

(Aww)

(By the by, Amy’s character is named Nova. We’ll be using that for the rest of the recap).

Nova panics when she realizes she’s put the bag down on a conveyor belt. She tries to get it back but it moves too quick for her. It heads toward a fire and she fears it will be destroyed. Dreamy once again comes to her rescue, managing to stop the belt and rescue the bag. Nova is ecstatic.

She then tells Dreamy that before she returns to wherever it is that the fairies live, she wants to see the fireflies in the land. So she’ll be on Firefly Hill that night. He tells her to have fun, totally missing the fact that she was essentially hinting that she wanted him to come. Disappointed, Nova leaves while Dreamy stares after her, well, dreamily.

At the fair, Leroy and Mary Margaret struggle to sell the candles. Meanwhile, Sidney seeks out Emma and asks her about the Kathryn case. It’s been confirmed that Kathryn didn’t register for law school but Emma doesn’t know that something’s happened to her. Sidney pushes for her to do something about David but she tells him to cool it.

Wanting to help Sr. Astrid, Leroy suggests selling the candles door to door. Mary Margaret doesn’t think anyone is going to want the town drunk and the town harlot on their doorsteps. He says in that case, they will pay them to leave. She figures it couldn’t hurt to try.

So they start going door to door. One older man just leers at Mary Margaret while eating a carrot. His wife, a more robust woman, comes to the door and chases away the town harlot from her husband. I’m guessing that was Jack Sprat (who could eat no fat) and his wife (who could eat no lean). Anyway, it goes downhill from there, with door after door slammed in their face.

(Jack Sprat is creepy)

After a long day in the mines, the dwarfs unwind at a tavern. They drink up as Dreamy recounts his conversation with Nova. His brothers wonder why she told him about the hill and he wonders what the feeling she inspires in him is. A voice tells him it’s love and when he turns, Belle is sitting there with an ale.

(She looks so depressed)

Dreamy asks her if she knows what she’s talking about and she assures him she does, no doubt thinking of Rumple. She then also clues Dreamy in that Nova was inviting him to Firefly Hill, that she wanted to watch the fireflies with him. Encouraged by Belle, Dreamy decides to go meet up with Nova.

Leroy and Mary Margaret return to the convent and she urges Leroy to tell Sr. Astrid the bad news. He approaches her as she’s picking something up, looking stressed and miserable. She talks about how she’s always screwing up and how Gold is always looking for a reason to throw the sisters’ out. He’s surprised Gold would be so heartless…and really, Leroy? Is it really that surprising? Anyway, she’s so happy that he’s helping her and he so he lies, telling her that he sold every candle. She’s thrilled while Mary Margaret is ready to kill him.

When he returns to her, she lays into him. He says he’ll figure out a way to get the money but he couldn’t disappoint her. Leroy then asks if she thinks the sisters would leave Storybrooke if they lose the convent. Mary Margaret studies him and realizes he is attracted to Sr. Astrid. She then lays into him for like a sister but he reminds her that she carried on with a married man so she shouldn’t judge. Mary Margaret asks again how they are going to get the money and he tells her not to worry about it, he’ll handle everything.

(Man on a mission)

Dreamy makes it to Firefly Hill, just in time. Nova is happy to see him and admits she didn’t think he was going to come. He plays it off and they watch the fireflies light up the night over the kingdom. Dreamy confesses that he wants to get a boat and sail around the world. Nova would love to do that as well. They make plans and agree to meet the next night to start their adventure. Nova kisses Dreamy and it’s just so sweet.

(They're adorable!)

Back in Storybrooke, Leroy tries to sell his boat to Mr. Gold. Gold, though, is no fool and is able to get Leroy to spill what he’s trying to do. Leroy asks him to forgive the sisters’ one month’s rent but Gold is loathed to do that. He really wants to kick them out, maybe send them out of Storybrooke because Gold knows they really are fairies and things could be problematic for him once they have their memories back.

(Never turn to this man)

Gold leaves as Sr. Astrid shows up. She made Leroy a pie and wanted to see the boat. He shows it to her and promises to take her out in it. But Sr. Astrid spies the candles he had been trying to hide, forcing Leroy to tell her the truth. Upset, Sr. Astrid scolds him and then runs off.

(Busted)

Emma is working at the office when Sidney waylays her again. This time he has Kathryn’s phone records and he tells her to take a very good look at them. She does so, growing concerned.

(Emma is troubled)

Leroy and Mary Margaret go drinking at Granny’s. They commiserate with each other and then Leroy gets an idea. He tells her that he’s going to fix everything.

(Pity party)

In the Enchanted Forest, Dreamy gathers his things and gets ready to meet up with Nova. Stealthy, though, busts him and the others all wake up. Dreamy reveals that he’s going to go explore the world with the fairy he loves and they wish him well. After a group hug, the other 7 dwarfs send him to his happy ending.

(Group hug!)

Except he’s stopped by the head dwarf, who tells him he can’t abandon his brothers. Dreamy’s like “Nah, they’ cool with me going off because of love. So see ya.” So the head dwarf tells him not to screw up Nova’s life. Dreamy’s like “Wha’chu talking about, Willis?”

And that’s when Blue drops in. This can’t be good. She says that Nova has a promising future as a fairy godmother but if she leaves with Dreamy, she’ll lose her wings. Really? I mean, it seemed in the beginning you doubted Nova would ever be a fairy godmother. That she would just be your fairy dust gofer forever. Now she’s going to be a talented one? Do you just want to control Nova forever?

(Shady)

Anyway, Blue and Chieffy convince Dreamy that it’s best if he breaks Nova’s heart and doesn’t run off with her. Hmm, this all seems very familiar…

Leroy climbs atop a roof overlooking the fair. Mary Margaret follows him, telling him not to jump. He glares at her and assures her that he’s not suicidal. All he’s going to do is create some demand for the candles. How? By taking out a transformer and plunging Storybrooke into darkness.

Well then.

(Man with a plan)

In the Enchanted Forest, Dreamy meets up with Nova. She explains that the ship is waiting for them and all they have to do is go down to the harbor. He tells her that they can’t run off, that they can’t be together. She says they can and that they love each other. He breaks her heart, telling her it would never work between a fairy and dwarf. Nova breaks down in tears on Firefly Hill as Dreamy heads back to the mines.

(Poor Nova)

His brothers are surprised to see him but Chieffy tells him he did the right thing. He gives Dreamy back his axe and the dwarf has at a rock. He hits it so hard, his axe breaks. Another one is handed to him and a new name appears on the handle—Grumpy. Chieffy seems somewhat affected by the name change and the other seven dwarfs are concerned about what it meant for their friend. Grumpy just returns to his work.

(Grumpy is born)

With the fair plunged into darkness, everyone rushes to buy candles. Mary Margaret and Leroy can’t hand them out fast enough and soon sell out. They have enough money to save the convent and share a congratulatory hug.

(Congrats!)

Mary Margaret lets Leroy deliver the good news to Sr. Astrid. He apologizes for lying to her and explains that no one has ever believed in him like she had. So he wanted to show that he believed in her too. He tells her they’ve raised the needed money and they are just adorable all around.

(Adorable!)

Emma goes over Kathryn’s phone records as Regina shows up. She pleads with Emma to question the person who made all those calls to Kathryn because she needs to know what happened to her friend. Emma looks reluctant but knows she needs to do her job.

(What does she really want?)

At the fair, Mary Margaret walks through the crowd with an unlit candle. Granny stops her and uses her candle to light Mary Margaret’s. They share a smile, symbolizing that Mary Margaret has been forgiven.

(Forgiveness. Can you imagine?)

She then spots David but Emma gets to him first. He’s confused as Emma shows him Kathryn’s phone records, insisting he hadn’t spoken to her. Emma says she has no choice but to bring him in for more questioning. Everyone, including Mary Margaret, watches as Emma puts David in the backseat of the sheriff’s car.

Uh oh.

After seeing this episode, it makes a lot of sense while Grumpy was the one who encouraged Snow to not give up on Charming. To not give up on love. Because he knew what it felt like and what it had done to him. Nice work.

Too bad we never saw Nova again. But Amy Acker was just too busy, I guess.

Next time: So, what happened to Kathryn? 

Screen caps from here.