OUAT: There's Always a Giant Spider

Last time on “Once:” Hook was desperate to find his way back to Storybrooke after Gideon sent the Nautilus into another realm. However, they needed kraken blood. Their quest for it brought Hook back to Jasmine and Aladdin, who were still searching for Agrabah. Jasmine finally confessed that Jafar took Agrabah so they hope finding him will help all of them.

When the Nautilus started to sink, Jasmine wished them to where Jafar was. They landed by a Tiki shack that turned out to be owned by Ariel, who had an adventure with Jasmine years ago!

The Sultan tried to marry off Jasmine in order to secure a neighboring kingdom’s army to help fight Jafar. Jafar, though, showed up and turned one prince into a fancy walking stick. He then revealed that Aladdin was a broken hero and that Jasmine’s only chance to save her people was to marry him. Jasmine refused but he gave her to sundown to either accept his offer or defeat him. Otherwise, Agrabah would be destroyed.

While wandering through Agrabah, Jasmine encountered a merchant who chased after a street rat. Hoping it was Aladdin, she gave chase and saved Ariel when the merchant roughed her up. Ariel revealed she was there to find Prince Eric and Jasmine wanted to make a deal with him to use his navy. In the middle of the desert. Just go with it.

Jasmine introduced Ariel to the flying carpet and Ariel discovered she had a fear of heights as they fly out to a caravan outside the city. They found Eric…but it was really Jafar in disguise. Time had run out so Jasmine had to choose—her city or marriage to him. Tick tock. Ariel tried to convince Jasmine to use some magic she took from Jafar against him but she decided to marry him instead. She gave him a ring containing the prized jewel of the kingdom. Jafar revealed he just wanted the ring because it contained magic that protected Agrabah. With it, he made the city disappear.

Ariel revealed she had a lamp and they realized that Jafar became a genie. They planned to use their wishes to make him do what they wanted but once Jasmine freed him, he broke the curse. He put Aladdin, Ariel and Hook under a sleeping spell and taunted Jasmine. She got him to reveal that Agrabah was in her ring, though, before she got the upper hand and turned him into a fancy walking stick. Jasmine and Aladdin released Agrabah using True Love’s Kiss and Ariel let Hook use her shellphone in order to contract Emma.

Emma, meanwhile, was doing her best to avoid feeling anything about Hook leaving. So Regina of all people had to plot to do so by tricking Emma to having a girls’ night out at Storybrooke’s newest bar. Drunk!Snow stole the show while Aesop got Emma to finally talk about her feelings. She had a good cry, had some alcohol and then went home to put Hook’s things in storage. She received his call and learned the truth.

Aesop showed up and revealed that he was really Gideon in disguise. He said that since he now had Emma’s tears, he could make sure Hook could never return home to Storybrooke. In order to save Hook, Emma needed to help him destroy the Black Fairy. Reluctantly, she agreed.

We open with a shot of the Black Fairy flying through some clouds. She carries a sleeping baby in a carrier and it’s pretty obvious that it’s baby Gideon. She soars through some mines as people look at her in fear and surprise. When she lands, a young woman asks if the baby is another child to work in the mines. The Black Fairy says the baby is different and calls him precious. The young woman, who kinda looks like Drew Barrymore in Ever After, says she’ll take care of him like he was her own. The Black Fairy isn’t pleased and tells her to take care of him like he was her (the Black Fairy’s) own. Drew Barrymore lookalike takes out a book and we see Belle’s message to Gideon. The Black Fairy takes it and tells the baby that he won’t need the book before calling him Gideon, in case we had any doubts by now.

(Aww. He's adorable)

Back in Storybrooke, Emma is still processing the fact that Gideon sent Hook away and isn’t letting him back. Gideon says she has to help him and Emma first tries to choke him. He reminds her of the tears and that she needs him to get Hook back. She lets him go and notices that he has the sword. Emma says that he is going to find a way to bring back Hook without her and then she strikes him, drawing blood.

(You got something right there, Gideon)

Gideon, though, is unfazed. He tells her that he is not scared of anyone, let alone her. He was raised by the Black Fairy and has seen things she couldn’t imagine, he tells her. Gideon says he has thousands of people and children counting on him to free them from her depravity. He says that nothing will stop him from keeping his promise or fulfilling his mission. So she better think about how much she wants Hook back in her life. He then disappears in a cloud of golden smoke.

Young Gideon reads his mother’s book, regaling a friend in a neighboring cell about how his namesake heroically faced down a giant spider. Because of course it’s a giant spider. There’s always a giant spider in fantasy. They hear someone coming and the other boy pleads with Gideon to put the book away. He says the Black Fairy will be cross if she discovers he stole it. Gideon promises that he won’t let the Black Fairy hurt the boy he calls Roger but hides the book as she approaches.

The Black Fairy says she’s come to wish them goodnight and that Mother loves them. She tells Gideon that she was going to tell him a special bedtime story as she opens his cell. However, she notes, he’s already had one. She pulls out the book and taunts him, saying that of course she knew what he stole from her. Gideon says it’s his and she replies that everything there belongs to her. He says he read the inscription and knows it’s from his real mother, to remind him to be hero. The Black Fairy snaps that she is his mother and Gideon yells that she isn’t. So she taunts him, saying he’s not a hero like his mother and she’s going to show him exactly what he is.

(Oh, yes. She's pissed)

She goes to the cell next door and takes Roger, who pleads with Gideon to help him. Gideon leans against his cell door and it opens, just like he told Rumple. The Black Fairy pauses as Roger continues to beg for help and waits for Gideon’s next step. His fear, though, gets the better of him and he retreats into his cell. She calls him a coward and says now he knows what he really is. She says he needs her and then drags Roger off. His cries plague Gideon, who covers his ears as he cries.

Emma storms into Gold’s shop with her mother in tow, demanding answers to her questions. He emerges from the back, telling her to ask nicely if she wants them. Emma says that she’s close to killing his son and Snow replies that she would help as they need some mother-daughter bonding. Belle asks what’s going on and Emma reveals that Gideon sent Hook away. And that he’s threatening to keep him from returning until Emma helps him defeat the Black Fairy. She figures Gold knows something about her and Gold tells her that she’s his mother. Without giving them time to let the shock wear off, Gold brings them up to speed: the Black Fairy kidnapped Gideon, raised him in a dimension where time moved more quickly, tortured him and made him think he needed to destroy the Savior—all to punish Rumple. Emma’s like “But you’re her son!” and Rumple’s like “So you realize how dangerous she is then?”

(Snow is no doubt trying to figure out how this fucks up Henry's family tree even more)

Belle tells Emma that Gideon isn’t evil, that the Black Fairy made him that way. She begs Emma to save him but Emma says she has to go with what she sees and experiences. Gold, though, says that there’s more to saving Gideon than earning brownie points with him. He says that they need to stop the Black Fairy. That right now she’s trapped in another dimension and can only escape long enough to steal a child before she’s pulled back in, but if she were to break free…Emma figures she can handle her since she broke his Dark Curse, the one he gave Regina all those seasons ago. However, Rumple tells her that that curse as well as all the evil she’s ever faced all stemmed from the Black Fairy. So they needed to defeat her.

(Though I’m pretty sure the Dark One powers aren’t from her and are separate, judging from the Camelot arc).

Regina and Henry are in her vault as Regina tries to figure out a way to undo the curse on Snow and Charming. She says she’s managed to clean up most of her other half’s messes, including getting the Dragon out of the mirror and freeing Dr. Doolittle from a cage. She also removed the curse on the town line. That has to be a first for this town. The only thing she can’t fix is the curse. Henry assures her that she’ll be able to do it and wishes he could help. Regina thinks he can and starts listing some ingredients for him to pick up from Emma’s. However, once Henry starts writing, something goes wrong. His eyes cloud over and he writes frantically, not answer his mother’s concerned calls of his name.

(Aww. Henry just wants to help his mom)

Gideon, now grown, is summoned by the Black Fairy. She says it’s a very special day and then tells him it’s his birthday. He doesn’t know what to say and she snaps that everyone has one. Gideon replies that he just didn’t know his was today. She says it is and that it’s a special one since he’s 28. The Black Fairy says he’s grown into a loyal son and is quite talented magically. She predicts he will become a great sorcerer. And so she wants to do something special for him, to show how proud she is of him.

A child enters, carrying a bag. He says it’s the dust the Black Fairy wanted. She tells him to put it in her vault but then pauses, growing concerned. Gideon asks her if something’s wrong and she replies that someone stole the key to her vault. He asks who would do that and she charges him to go down to the mines to find out. She gives him some black fairy dust, telling him to tell with the person the way she taught him. She believes in him.

(This would almost be sweet if she wasn't a manipulative abuser)

Gideon chills in the clock tower. Emma enters and says that when she first got to Storybrooke, it didn’t work. Now it’s ticking away the seconds from when she got there. Gideon’s like “Are you here just to talk about yourself?” Emma says that she spoke with his parents and it helped her realize something. She says she recognizes that he’s a person who needs hope, just like Henry needed when he found her in the pilot. Gideon asks if this means she’s going to help him.

Emma, though, has some reservations. She says that given their history, she’s going to need a sign of good faith. She asks for the sword and for the spell to bring back Hook. Gideon hands them over and she tells him that they need to get to work because they need to get her pirate back.

Yes, she actually said that.

(Emma considers it might be a trick)

Speaking of said pirate, he drops a bag of jewels in the middle of a card game. One of the players is Blackbeard, who taunts Hook and asks why he’s here. Hook says he’s in need of a magic bean and since he got one off Blackbeard before, he’s hoping he can do it again. Blackbeard says the bag of jewels won’t cover it even when Hook points out his chips are low. Hook assures them that they are the best jewels in Agrabah and Blackbeard laughs, mocking Hook for being a pirate in the middle of the desert. Hook keeps his cool and says that it was just a stop on his way home. Blackbeard still isn’t interested.

So Hook decides to sweeten the pot. He says he knows that Blackbeard has been without a ship since Arendelle. Blackbeard says he’s been meaning to talk to him about that but Hook waves him off. He beats the Jolly Roger, again. Blackbeard asks if he’s ready to lose it again and Hook says he has to lose. So, is Blackbeard in—a game of cards for the Roger? Blackbeard is.

(He looks a little too happy)

Emma is surprised to meet up with Gideon outside the Sorcerer’s Mansion. He explains that it has power that can help them with dealing other places. Emma realizes he’s talking about opening a portal and she says that it requires a lot of power. Gideon says that’s not a problem since they have him.

Oh yeah. He’s Rumple’s kid.

Gideon leads her to the doorway that brought the Frozen characters back to Arendelle. He tells her to arrange all the ingredients on a table and he hands her the napkin with her tears. He says this is about her and her love. She lays the napkin down and waves her hand, lighting a candle. Emma asks what happens next when the room begins to shake. Gideon’s book—Her Handsome Hero—flies to the door. Gideon says that “she” has figured out what they are doing as a large spider leg breaks through the door. He calls it a message just as Aragog Jr. bursts through the portal. Gideon and Emma hit it with their magic before Emma tells him to run.

(This seems like the start of a horror film)

In the mines, Gideon tells the workers that his mother has been kind to them but one of them repaid it by stealing her key. He demands that the person step forward and then they will only have to deal with him, not her. When no one does, Gideon pulls out the vial. He says that he’ll have to use magic to turn them from vermin into something more useful. Gideon pulls one scared young man, who insists he wasn’t the thief. But Gideon says he’ll be an example now. He prepares to douse the boy with black fairy dust when another drone steps forward, admitting to the theft.

Gideon pushes the first boy aside and turns on the scrawny young man who has stepped forward. He promises to punish the boy but he interrupts Gideon, quoting the passage young Gideon had read in the other flashback. Gideon realizes it’s Roger and says he thought he was dead. Roger says he isn’t and says that should help ease some of Gideon’s guilt over not stopping the Black Fairy. Gideon protests that he couldn’t do anything and Roger once again says that it’s something he must’ve told himself to make himself feel better. He asks Gideon to be a real hero and stop the Black Fairy.

(Roger believes in Gideon)

Back in the house, Shelob-wannabe is shooting webbing everywhere as it goes through the place. Emma and Gideon hide upstairs and he apologizes. He explains that he hoped to use her magic to rip a hole between dimensions so he could kill the Black Fairy and free the children she has trapped there. Emma’s like “It would’ve been easier to ask me than try to kill me” and he acknowledges that, apologizing. Shelob shoots webbing at them and they run to find refuge somewhere else.

Hook demands to be dealt in again and Blackbeard does so, taunting him. He asks why Hook is so determined to get another bean and Hook replies that he’s been separated from the woman he loves and she’s in danger. He needs to get back to her. Blackbeard asks if it’s the same woman from before and Hook confirms it is. Blackbeard tells him he should’ve kept the ship and gotten rid of the woman because now he’s going to lose both. He tosses down a winning hand and demands that Hook hand over the ship. Hook tells him they need to head outside.

(Bummer, dude)

Once they get out there, though, Blackbeard is angry to see an empty slip. He asks Hook where the ship is and Hook responds it’s back with the woman he was talking about. Blackbeard feels deceived but Hook points out that he cheated. All his other opponents were just too drunk to realize there were six Aces in Blackbeard’s deck rather than four. So if Blackbeard wants his ship, he needs to hand over the bean. He does so and Hook prepares to head home. Blackbeard insists on going with him and Hook agrees, throwing the bean into the water. A portal opens and they jump in.

Henry comes to in the vault and Regina shows him the strange writing he made while under the trance. He doesn’t remember writing it and doesn’t know what it means. Henry wonders if it’s his Author powers but notes he didn’t use the pen or write in the book. He starts to panic as he asks his mother what’s going on. She calms him down as she admits she doesn’t know but that she thinks she knows someone who can help them.

Nurse Ratchet greets them and says that the person they are visiting doesn’t get visitors. Regina isn’t surprised. Henry asks if they can trust “him” as “he” isn’t their biggest fan. Regina says that if his problem is coming from being the Author, then they need to ask the last one. That’s right, the person locked away in the vaults of the hospital is indeed Isaac Heller, the last Author. He is sitting at a desk and he turns to face them. He gives them a creepy smile as Regina greets him, telling him they need his help.

(Ahh, this douchebag)

Isaac looks over Henry’s scribbling and says that he’s heard of it happening to other Authors. It never happened to him, though, but he’s not complaining. He is complaining about how he’s been treated and asks Regina what he did to warrant it. She reminds him that he tried to kill them all and he’s like “Oh, right.” He says he could tell her what it means but that he wants some things in return. He wants his freedom and a free ticket to New York City. Preferably in a sports car. Regina says she’ll gladly drive one over him. But he holds firm—freedom, sports car, NYC. And he wants Hamilton tickets to boot.

This caused a bit of furor when the episode aired. Once’s timeline is tricky but there are fans who have managed to keep up with it. Including all the time jumps and Henry being about 12 or 13, we know that Season 6 takes place sometime in 2014. Hamilton debuted off-Broadway in February 2015 and transferred to Broadway that summer. This just came across as the writers trying to be cool and timely…where it is clearly a fail. Adam said that in their world, Hamilton debuted about eighteen months than in reality but it didn’t really work. I think we may have had more respect if they just said “We’re just as confused by the timeline and forgot that it’s not 2017 in the show.”

Anyway, Regina tells Henry to grab his stuff and says they were fools to think that “washed up hack” could help them. That fuels something inside Isaac and he tells her that Henry’s Author powers are taking over. He says that Henry might think he controls them but he doesn’t. Isaac says the trances will become more frequent and more intense. He says Henry might end up in a cell next to him. Regina asks Isaac what she needs to do to help her son. He tells her to give him what he wants and he’ll help.

Back in the mines, Roger tells Gideon his crime is nothing if it saves people from the Black Fairy. Gideon wonders what he thinks the Black Fairy is doing and Roger asks why she is harvesting so much black fairy dust. She tells Gideon that the Black Fairy once created a powerful but dark spell known as the Dark Curse. He says she was obsessed with perfecting it and gathered as much dust as she could. He doesn’t want to know what she’s planning to do now.

Gideon asks Roger what happened after the Black Fairy took him away. Roger says it’s best not to talk about it. Tearfully, Gideon apologizes for being too scared to save him and Roger says that he was just a kid. Gideon says he was weak and he knows he could never survive the mines, unlike Roger. Roger asks him again to help him stop the Black Fairy, saying that there is someone called the Savior in another dimension. He says she can stop the Black Fairy and there is a magical orb that can help them contact her. He asks Gideon to help him get it.

Emma and Gideon try to escape the overgrown and pissed off Charlotte but she’s shot webbing all throughout the house, blocking their only means of escape. However, Gideon then pushes Emma into the webbing and he says that she still needs to die so he can get her powers to open up the portal to the other dimension. She realizes he brought the spider here so he didn’t have to kill her. He confirms it and she asks about Hook. He says that her pirate will never be able to return to Storybrooke. Gideon then reveals he has no control over Aragog and leaves.

(Looks like Emma is in a sticky situation)
(Sorry)

Hook and Blackbeard land on a beach surrounded by forest. Blackbeard asks where the Jolly Roger is and Hook says that they didn’t end up in his realm. He says something must have gone wrong and Blackbeard taunts him, saying it’s not too hard to use a bean. Hook insists that he used the bean right and believes the dark magic that sent him from his realm is keeping him from getting there. So that leaves one question to solve: Where the heck are they?

They hear drums and whoops coming from over a dune. Both turn around as teenage boys appear dressed like extras from Lord of the Flies. Blackbeard asks who they are and Hook says they are Lost Boys. The bean has taken them to Neverland. One teen orders the others to kill them and they give chase to the pirates, who run for their lives.

(It's the Welcome Committee!)

Meanwhile, Emma is still caught in webbing. She manages to free herself and tries to fight the spider, going with calling it Charlotte. However, Shelob gets the better of her and starts wrapping her up like Frodo. As she struggles for air, Gideon waits in the clock tower. His sword begins to glow and he says “It’s time, Mother.” He slices the air, creating a hole between the dimensions and waits as Emma passes out. The spider is close to devouring her and it almost looks like the end of the Savior.

(Almost looks like a Christmas star. Which is the closest the show has gotten to actually showing Christmas)

Except she is saved by the Dark One. He chases off the spider and uses his dagger to cut the webbing. Rumple pleads with her to come around and she finally coughs, taking a deep breath. Up in the clock tower, the rip closes and Gideon is tossed back.

At the house, Rumple helps Emma pull of the last of the webbing. They then face the spider together, combining her light magic with his dark dagger to shrink it down to a normal spider size. Emma then squashes it beneath her boot. Rumple asks where Gideon is and worries that Shelob killed him. Emma tells him that Aragog was Gideon’s pet and that he tried to kill her. She tells Rumple she’s sorry but his son is evil. She has no choice but to stop him.

Gideon pulls out the orb in the Black Fairy’s rooms as Roger praises him. They start to peer into it but the Black Fairy interrupts them. He asks how she found them and she reveals she led them there, just like she led Roger to the key. Gideon realizes it was all a test and she says he failed. She says she thought he was different, that he would be her most loyal son. She says she gave him everything and this is how he repays her. He reminds her that she stole him from his parents and she says they abandoned him. But she took him in. He should be grateful.

However, Gideon refuses to be intimidated by her. He says he needs to stand up to her at last. She laughs and reminds him that he’ll never be a hero. Gideon, though, believes otherwise and says that he knows she’s hording black fairy dust. He won’t let her use it to keep tormenting others and he will stop her. She decides to prove he won’t and as her guards grab Roger, saying that he’s just about to begin his torment. Gideon throws the black dust at her but she steps aside just in time.

Angered, the Black Fairy tells Gideon that she gave him that magic and that there were many ways to hurt someone. She then uses the dust to turn Roger into a bug before adding “or a bug” to her statement. Lifting up her skirt, she crushes Bug!Roger as Gideon shouts in horror. She torments him, telling him that he could’ve prevented it all those years ago but he was unable to save Roger. She says it’s on him. He’s undaunted, though, and says that the Savior will stop her. The Black Fairy says that she’s aware of the Savior and that she has plans for her, just like she has plans for Gideon.

The Black Fairy places her hand on his chest before pulling out his heart. She declares that he is now hers completely and she can control him. She orders him to find the Savior and to kill her. Once the Savior is dead, the sword will do the rest and free her from the dimension she’s trapped in. She relishes it while Gideon looks very uncomfortable.

(It looks like she's gonna eat it, doesn't it?)

Back in Neverland, Blackbeard and Hook are still running from the Lost Boys. Blackbeard says he thought Pan was dead and Hook confirms it (Pan is super dead). He says Neverland must’ve changed since he’s been gone and then says that some of Pan’s Lost Boys decided not to accept their offer to come to Storybrooke. He says the worst stayed behind and they care for no one.

The two make it to the beach where they find a single rowboat. Hook pauses long enough for Blackbeard to knock him out. He then takes the rowboat and is already rowing away from the island as Hook comes to. Blackbeard says he can’t trust a two-timer like Hook and Hook reminds him that he knocked out Hook. Blackbeard just yells back “PIRATE” and reminds Hook that he still owes him the Jolly Roger. Hook sighs and takes off running again.

(Bye, Blackbeard!)

Snow and Belle meet up with Emma and Rumple at the mansion. They wonder what happened and Belle asks where Gideon is. Emma reveals that Gideon lured her there to kill him and says that the Black Fairy turned him evil. Rumple asks her to give Gideon a chance and reminds her that he saved her life. She points out that his son was the one who tried to kill her and says she can’t afford to give him a third chance to kill her. Rumple tells her that if she crosses the line with his son, he will come after her. Snow reminds him that they didn’t start this fight and takes Emma home.

Belle grows exasperated and says that Gideon is tearing them apart after only a few days. Rumple says that the heroes tend to see things in black and white but Belle tells him that they are right. She worries that they really lost their son. Rumple, though, refuses to give up. He says that the Black Fairy isn’t there but they are. He promises her that Gideon is safe from the Black Fairy and she can’t hurt him anymore.

Gideon stares out the clock tower and tells his “mother” that their plan fails, that the Savior survived. She says she knows and he turns to find her standing behind her. He’s confused but she says the spider did its job. She said that Emma was almost dead long enough for her to slip through the cut Gideon had made with the sword. The Black Fairy chides Gideon for not believing in her and thanks him for playing his part. He reminds her that he had no choice. She says that part of him wanted to help her and he reluctantly agrees. The Black Fairy says she needs him for what she has planned.

Isaac shows up at the town line and isn’t thrilled that all Regina could get him was a minivan. She says he can either take it to New York or go back to his cell. He agrees to the minivan. And he guesses that it’s a no-go on the Hamilton tickets. Regina gives him a Look and he guesses that magic has its limitations. (Like being unable to get tickets to a show that won’t open for at least a year? Yep). Isaac tells Regina that if she cares about Henry, she’ll be right behind him in leaving Storybrooke. He says that if she wants to know what’s going on with Henry, they should check the book. He hands it to Henry and walks toward the minivan.

Henry flips through the pages and realizes they are all blank. He looks up and announces that it’s the final chapter. He asks Isaac what happens and Isaac tells him that the Savior fights the final battle. He warns that no one wants to be around for that before getting in the car. As tense music plays, he drives away from Storybrooke as Regina and Henry brace for the inevitable.

(Bye-bye, Isaac)

Uh oh. Things are growing ominous. The Black Fairy is in town and Isaac is warning of a final battle. Looks like we’re in for the ultimate showdown between the forces of good and evil. And since Adam and Eddy have confirmed this season will see the conclusion of the show’s storylines in preparation for a reboot if the show gets renewed. So we should probably be worried for some of our beloved characters.

You can tell they’re winding down as we’re revisiting some past characters. Cinderella, August, Ariel, Blackbeard and Isaac…who’s next on our list? Who knows?

Next time: It’s time to wake up Snow and Charming for good. 

Screen caps from here.