OUAT: Come Back

Last time on “Once:” Gold sent a message to Belle by aging a fairy. She realized he was going to use the dust on her to accelerate her pregnancy and force her to give birth so he could cut their son from his fate. Because, you know, the accelerated pregnancy plot worked so well last season with Zelena.

Emma and Hook promised to help Belle. After talking with her son in the dream world, she showed them a book that had squid ink. Hook and Emma used it to freeze Gold and they tried to get the shearers. But Emma was knocked back by her vision. While Hook was helping her, Gold got free and went to find Belle.

Belle pleaded with Gold not to use the dust on her and then stood her ground, telling him that if he used it, he would lose her forever. She asked him if he was willing to chance that. He left without dosing her with the dust.

Later, though, Belle has some tea and soon finds her pregnancy accelerated until she is in labor. Emma and Hook take her to the fairies, who put up a forcefield that manages to keep Gold away from her until she gives birth. In the dream world, her son told Belle that she knew what she had to do to keep him safe and Belle gave the boy, named Gideon, to Blue for safekeeping. She made Blue his fairy godmother and Blue took Gideon far away. Belle told Gold she would never forgive him and he vowed to find their son.

In flashbacks, Rumpelstiltskin stole a baby and had Belle take care of him. He revealed he was going to use the baby for something and that it was no doubt dangerous. Belle worked to figure out what it was, falling into Rumple’s trap when she deciphered an incantation to summon the Black Fairy for him. He took the incantation, took the baby and locked her up so she couldn’t stop him. Blue rescued her and revealed that the Black Fairy used to protect children but now she kidnaps and tortures them. She sent Belle to stop Rumple.

Rumple summoned the Black Fairy and stunned her with squid ink. He revealed that she was his mother but she abandoned him. She said she had to make choices for power and then flew off when the ink wore off. Belle rescued the baby and returned him to his parents.

In other news, Jasmine decided to use the Genie lamp but there was no genie. Aladdin put on the shackles and became the new genie of the lamp in order to help her. Queenie was sent to kill Zelena but Regina intervened. She and Rumple then fought, leading Queenie to be the one to dose Belle. So now she’s on Rumple’s hit list.

Uh oh.

It’s late at night but Hook, Emma and Regina walk toward the vault. Hooks asks if she has something that can destroy the sword and Regina replies they don’t want to destroy the sword. They want to analyze it. He doesn’t understand since it’s supposed to kill Emma. Emma reminds him that the person wielding it is supposed to kill her. So if they can figure out anything from the sword, they want to do that first. Then they can worry about destroying things, Regina tells him.

(Excuse me while my Outlaw Queen heart explodes)

OUAT: Bye, Bye Baby

Last time on “Once:” Snow and David adjusted to life under the new sleeping curse. They took turns under it and it seemed Baby Neal didn’t get any sleep with his parents doing split shifts. It eventually took its toll on them and they grew weary of living apart while still sharing the same space.

Belle teamed up with Zelena in order to protect her unborn son, asking her to send her to another realm to get away from her husband. Zelena was willing but needed the Apprentice’s wand to do so. So they asked Aladdin to get it for them. He agreed.

Emma and Regina tried to trap Queenie in the land behind the mirror but she flipped the script and captured them instead. Hook caught onto it early but Queenie knocked him out and continued masquerading as Regina around Henry.

Henry was already nervous because Snow was throwing a dance at school and Violet had been distant lately. It didn’t help that he realized Queenie was masquerading as his mom and he had to go help her at the same time. Violet helped him escape as he went to the vault. Queenie met him there, revealing Emma and Regina were trapped with the Dragon. She turned him into a real dragon and told Henry he had to crush the Dragon’s heart to save him. He broke the mirror instead and a shot of flames helped free Regina and Emma. Hook showed up to help and Queenie left, defeated for now.

Aladdin got the wand for Zelena and stole the genie’s lamp to see if he and Jasmine could get help from it to save Agrabah.

Zelena almost sent Belle away but Gold interfered, putting a tracking device on his wife and insisting it was out of love. Zelena scoffed at that and when he tried to choke her, Gold suffered a heart attack. It seemed that thanks to what she did for him in New York back in Season 4, if he tried to kill her, he’ll die. He left, angrier than before.

So when Queenie showed up to commiserate with him, he asked her to kill Zelena.

One of the sisters runs through a basement of some sort before she is stopped by Gold. She tells him that the Mother Superior will stop him but he insists none of them can stop him now. With a flick of his hand, he ties her to a pole.

Queenie shows up, asking him what his deal is with the fairies. He doesn’t really answer, instead asking her what she’s doing there. She says she thought they were a team and he reminds her if that was so, she would’ve killed Zelena already. Queenie doesn’t think he really expects her to kill her flesh and blood but he does. He says it’s the only thing standing between them and a fresh start together. Queenie still looks torn and asks about Belle. He says he realizes she’ll never accept him for who he really is and that it’s over between them.

He then turns back to the fairy and says he’s going to use her to send a message. Gold tosses some dust on her and she ages before our eyes. Queenie pretends to be shocked while Gold just stands there and smugs.

(Sr. Granny)

Christmas Cookies

Successful business woman has lost the Christmas spirit when she is sent to make a deal with the owner of a wildly popular cookie factory known for their Christmas goodies. And of course, the owner is cute and single. Whatever will happen?

I told you. These things are formulaic. But with the right characters and actors, it can still seem fresh.

Does this one? Let’s find out!

Upstate…somewhere…is a little town called Cookie Jar. It is home to Aunt Sally’s Christmas Cookies, a little factory that makes delicious cookies and treats only at Christmas. People flock to the town, which lives for Christmas, and enjoy the cookies.

Meanwhile, Hannah (Jill Wagner) had lost that Christmas feeling. She’s not a complete Scrooge but she’s just not into the holiday. Especially when her boyfriend Gavin (Jim Thorburn) keeps pushing for her to attend his law firm’s Christmas Eve party. She says it was stuffy the year before and just not something she’s interested in. He asks her to consider going for his sake and she promises to think about it.

The next day, Hannah meets up with her sister Kelly (Chelsey Reist) for lunch…I guess. They don’t really do much eating. Kelly pushes her sister about whether or not Gavin proposed but Hannah doesn’t seem keen to the idea. They then notice a story on the news that involves Hannah’s company, Whole Foods. Rumor is that the company is going to buy Aunt Sally’s and Kelly remembers their trips to Cookie Jar as children. She says Hannah should run that account but Hannah says she can’t just go and demand it from her boss. She then heads back to work after promising Kelly to help make Christmas cookies.