OUAT: No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

Another episode featuring Zelena and Oz and since neither new song added to Wicked For Good seem to fit this episode, I’m using lyrics instead of song titles.

My Once Upon a Time recaps return, resuming with Season 6 since I never finished those recaps! Here we go!

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Last time on “Once”: Hook encountered Tiger Lily, who helped him stay away from angry and vengeful Lost Boys. They managed to evade them as he tried to get his way back to Storybrooke.

In Storybrooke, Regina tried to find a way to break the curse on Snow and Charming. She got an idea as they drifted off into a presumably permanent sleep and had everyone in Storybrooke share the curse. This weakened it and allowed Charming and Snow to finally wake up.

Flashbacks revealed that Charming and Snow woke up during the first curse and were briefly reunited. They found a way to get to little Emma but Rumple convinced them not to go to her, to let fate play out so they could stop Regina – who was still in full Evil Queen mode. So they left Emma in foster care and allowed themselves to be cursed again.

Parents of the Year.

Anyway, Fiona and Gideon are still threats and Rumple and Belle are still determined to stop her and save him.

No wonder my “Last time” recaps were almost as long as the regular recaps! Because that was me trying to condense it into one paragraph and failing!

We open in the merry old land of Oz as young Zelena walks down the yellow brick road. She encounters a boy about her age with an axe who is cutting wood. She warns him to be careful before they find a nest that’s fallen with a broken egg. He reveals someone knocked it out of the tree and Zelena uses her magic to fix it.

The yellow brick road needs a new paint job. 

Other kids come out of the woods to mock Zelena and warn the other boy to stay away from her. But they were the kids who knocked the nest out of the tree before the tree fell. So the boy threatens them with his axe and they run off. He introduces himself as Stanum and it seems Zelena has herself a friend!

We flash out of Oz and to Zelena’s farmhouse as Baby Robin cries. Zelena quickly makes a bottle for her and when she races into the next room, she stops short. The Black Fairy stands there with Peanut in her arms, taunting Zelena. She pretty much demands that Zelena help her or she would hurt Peanut.

Poor Peanut.

And now Zelena is pissed off, which can never end well for anybody.

Cue the credits!

OUAT: Wake Up Call

Last time on “Once:” Hook made it from Agrabah to a little village by the sea, finding Blackbeard there. He played him for a magic bean so Hook could get back to Emma, betting the Jolly Roger. He lost because Blackbeard cheated but Hook had an ace up his sleeve (not literally, though). Since he didn’t have the Roger, Blackbeard had to give him the bean so they could get it.


In Storybrooke, Regina worked to try to undo the sleeping curse but was having no luck. Henry offered to help her but they were sidetracked when he went into a trance, writing some strange things down. They had to go to Isaac to get help and he agreed to do it provided Regina freed him so he could get out of town. He said that Henry’s author powers were taking over and they were going to get worse.


Meanwhile, Emma agreed to help Gideon stop the Black Fairy if he brought back Hook. He took her to the Sorcerer’s mansion so that they could open a portal but instead of a pirate, a giant spider came through. It chased after them and they ran, trying to find a place to hide. However, the spider soon found them and Gideon betrayed Emma, leaving her to the spider so that he could drain her powers and open the portal so the Black Fairy could enter that dimension.


We got a glimpse of Gideon’s childhood with the Black Fairy. He stole back the book Belle left for him, reading from it to his friend Roger until the Black Fairy caught them. She decided to show Gideon he wasn’t a hero by giving him the option of saving Roger when she tortured him. But Gideon was a scared child and so he hid instead.


Gideon grew up and the Black Fairy tested him again. He was reunited with Roger, who told him of a Savior who could defeat the Black Fairy and her nefarious plans. The two of them tried to summon the Savior but the Black Fairy interrupted them, disappointed that Gideon failed. She turned Roger into a bug and then squashed him before taking Gideon’s heart, controlling him.


Emma almost died but Rumple saved her, helping her defeat the spider. Snow and Belle joined them as Emma told Rumple that his son was no good, that she couldn’t save him. He told her that she was making a mistake and Emma reminded him that she didn’t start this. Snow and Emma left as Belle wondered if Gideon was really a lost cause. Rumple believed he wasn’t especially as he was far away from the Black Fairy’s influence.


Except he wasn’t as even Emma’s brief brush with death was enough to open a bit enough hole for the Black Fairy to come through. She’s in Storybrooke and she has plans.


Hook and Blackbeard ended up in Neverland and the Lost Boys were not happy to see them. They chased the two pirates to a beach, where Blackbeard knocked out Hook and stole the only rowboat. Hook came to in time to see his frenemy row away without him. With the Lost Boys closing in, he ran off again.


Regina gave in to Isaac’s demands, though not completely. He was allowed to leave Storybrooke but in a minivan rather than a sports car and sans tickets to Hamilton. (Which apparently was a thing because the writers no doubt forgot their own timeline and the fact the show is still currently in 2015 at best). Before he left, Isaac told her and Henry that his powers were acting up because they were nearing the end of the book and the final battle was near. He warned them to leave the town too.


Can things get any worse?


Let’s find out!


Hook is still running from the Lost Boys as the episode opens. He takes a tumble down a hill that allows the Boys to surround him. Realizing he was cornered, he offered to tell them where he had hidden his treasures and rum but they just want him to suffer for what happened to Pan. Hook sighs and pulls his sword, ready to fight them. He tells them that he has someone waiting for him and so they need to make this quick.

(Hook is reunited with his first love, Floor)

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)

OUAT: A Million Miles Away

Last time on “Once:” The Evil Queen and Regina had their final showdown. Queenie recruited Robin to help her with her plan, having him dig up the golden shearers and then using her as bait to lure Regina to her office. Regina went and Queenie used the shears to separate each other for good. They battled in the mayor’s office until Regina got the upper hand. Before she could crush Queenie’s heart, she was reminded of an episode from her past.

After failing once again to capture Snow White, Regina came face to face with Tinkerbell. The former fairy told Regina that she was scared to love and that’s why she hadn’t gone to find the Man with the Lion Tattoo. Regina laid into her and then spared her life as some sort act of mercy to impress the villagers, to turn them from supporting Snow White.

Her father, though, was paying attention. Wanting to find happiness for Regina, he told her that he knew of a way for her to get revenge on Snow White. He brought her to a grove enchanted by Cupid before admitting he really wanted to help her find the person she loved the most. Regina, though, created a potion that made the arrow find the person she hated the most instead. That person?

Herself.

So Regina decided to end the cycle of self-hatred and embraced Queenie’s darkness. Pressing their hearts together, she took on some of it while giving Queenie some of her light. She put the hearts back in their respective chests, giving Queenie a new lease on life. Queenie apologized and gave up on vengeance, realizing she needed a some place where she could start over. Regina recruited Henry, who sent her to the wish realm. Queenie reunited with Robin and the two shared a drink.

Outlaw Queen lives on.

Elsewhere, Emma showed off her engagement to everyone and gushed over being engaged. Snow wanted to plan the wedding but Emma said she and Hook were waiting until they defeated Gideon and the threat of Emma dying wasn’t hanging over them. Meanwhile, Hook was agonizing over not telling Emma about killing her grandfather and got some excellent advice from Captain Nemo.

He didn’t take it.

Instead, he put his memories into a dreamcatcher and tried to burn it. Emma caught him and was more upset that he didn’t talk to her about it than the fact he killed her grandfather. She told him she thought he was ready for marriage, ready to rely on her but she guessed he wasn’t. Emma gave him back the ring. Heartbroken, Hook asked to join Nemo on his next voyage so he could become the man Emma deserved. Nemo welcomed him aboard.

Before they could shove off, Snow told Hook about Regina redeeming Queenie and told him that sometimes even villains can be redeemed through love. It struck a chord with Hook, who told Nemo he was going to stay and try to repair things with Emma. Nemo wished him luck as the Nautilus began to dive. Gideon revealed he was sending the vessel—and Hook—far away because he needed Emma to be alone for his plan. He magicked himself out and watched from the shore as Hook disappeared beneath the water.

Meanwhile, Emma went home and realized that Hook had left her. She turned off her porch light and went to nurse her broken heart.

Emma watches her father pace the loft as he tries to process the fact that Hook killed his father. She apologizes for having to tell him this way and he asks why Hook didn’t have the guts to tell him himself. Emma tells David about her fight with Hook and says that Leroy spotted him boarding the Nautilus. She says he watched it go out to sea, taking Hook with it. David hugs her, comforting his brokenhearted daughter.

OUAT: Beowulf? Really?

Last time on “Once:” David was haunted by the ghost of his father, so he dragged Hook on a quest to discover what happened to the man. It involved a murder board, stealing ingredients from Emma, creating a potion and getting information from August that led to King George.

Meanwhile, Hook agreed to accompany David because he was worried for his friend and he wanted him to see him as more than a pirate. Especially since he bought a ring for Emma! Archie nearly lost it when he saw the ring and he encouraged Hook to ask David how he felt about Hook.

Anyway, in the Enchanted Forest, Robert and Ruth had no money for medicines for their ailing twin boys. So Rumple made them a deal—money for medicine for one while taking the other to live as a prince with King George. He made Robert flip a coin to choose which child to take—James being the winner.

Years later, the guilt over his decision drove Robert to drink. While he drowned his sorrows, King George entered the tavern to announced Prince James had been abducted. He offered a reward to anyone who brought the boy back. Robert, though, decided to go after James to bring him home to David and Ruth, so they could be a family again. Little David made his father promise to come home and stop drinking. He even gave him his lucky coin.

Rumple agreed to help Robert, directing him to Pleasure Island. There, Robert encountered Pinocchio, who helped him find James. The young prince said he ran away because he didn’t want to kill people. Robert said he would take him home instead and tried to leave with the boy. But King George found them and took James back. He then ordered Robert killed.

David felt more at peace after learning about his father’s fate. He thanked Hook, who then asked for his blessing to marry Emma. David gave it and all was well.

However, when August delivered the pages of his story he had taken back in Season 1, Hook got a nasty shock. It turned out that while King George had ordered Robert’s death, Hook had really killed Robert while robbing the king of his gold.

Uh oh.

We open in the middle of a battle. One young soldier gets overwhelmed by everything going on and tries to run for it. Another soldier stops him. The young one says that the ogres will kill them all and that they should just flee for their lives. The older one reminds him that they are the only things standing between the ogres and their homes. He pulls out a sword and says it’s been enchanted with light magic, guaranteeing its bearer victory in battle. He asks if the young soldier wants to stand and fight or be known as a coward. The young soldier agrees to fight and then calls the other soldier Beowulf.

Yep, that Beowulf.

OUAT: Let's Escape

Last time on “Once:” After an encounter with Queenie at Robin’s grave, Emma learned that the sword she found could hurt Queenie without hurting Regina. It sent Queenie spinning too and Rumple vowing to get revenge on her for what she did to Belle just added to her less-than-stellar night.

So Queenie got revenge. She stole Aladdin’s lamp and used him to send Emma to a world where she never became the Savior. Tensions rose amongst the family before Regina went to confront her other half. She realized that she and Queenie were the same, so she was Aladdin’s mistress as well. She wished herself to the dream world and he granted it.

With Regina gone as well, David decided to take matters into his own hands. He confronted Queenie and got the lamp, controlling Aladdin. He wished for Queenie to get exactly what she deserved but nothing happened. Queenie gloated that she got what she wanted—his family was falling apart. She tried to kill him but Hook and Jasmine intervened.

Later, the hooded figure emerged from Granny’s and turned her into a snake.

Meanwhile, Rumple and Belle had a talk and were horrified to learn that Blue had been attacked. She revealed that the Black Fairy had taken their son and they panicked, wondering what she was doing to him.

In the Wish Realm, Princess Emma celebrated her birthday with her loving parents and the entire court. The Enchanted Forest was prosperous and peaceful, thanks to Snow and Charming banishing the Evil Queen years ago. However, Princess Emma had been having strange dreams and found a sword under her bed. Snow waved it off and Henry figured it was for his knighting ceremony. It seemed even this wish realm, Neal was around…and died. Emma decided to put everything out of her mind and focus on Henry’s big day.

Regina arrived in the Wish Realm and freaked out the dwarves when they thought the Evil Queen returned. She then came across Emma in the woods, surprised at how docile she was as Snow and Charming threatened Regina. Regina poofed back to her castle where she found Rumpelstiltskin. He gave her some advice before making a deal with her for his freedom. As he went to find her a magic bean, she went to remind Emma that she was the Savior.

Henry was knighted and Regina burst in, much like she did at the Snowing wedding. She demanded that Emma find a hero who could fight her before kidnapping the Charmings. Emma then showed up at the Winter Palace, surrendering the kingdom to Regina. Frustrated, Regina crushed Snowing’s hearts in an attempt to get through to Emma. Nothing worked until Henry promised to avenge his grandparents, almost killing a docile Regina. Emma used her magic to stop him, jolted from her wish realm.

In Storybrooke, Rumple and Belle learned the figure under the hood—the one destined to kill Emma—was their son, all grown up.

In the Wish Realm, Rumple came through with a magic bean. Regina and Emma threw it down and a portal opened. But they are then waylaid by Robin Hood—very much alive and very much trying to rob them. Regina was shocked to see her soulmate again and as Emma tried to get her to leave, she refused to move. The portal closed, leaving them trapped.

We open in Minneapolis in 1990. Little Emma sits around a fire in an alley. She tears pages out of a book and throws them in, trying to stay warm in the harsh weather.

A male voice tells her not to tear out the story of “The Ugly Duckling.” She says she’s trying to stay warm and he asks her what she’s doing out there. Little Emma replies that she ran away from a lousy group home. She goes to rip the story again but he tells her again not to. We then see a dark-haired teenage boy who tells her that fairy tales are about transformations and belief. He says the duckling believed he was a swan so much, he became one. Emma points out that that’s not what the story is about—the duckling was always a swan. (She’s right). But he says he likes his interpretation between because it means we can become whoever we believe we are. He asks her if this what she believes is her destiny and says that she’ll find her home one day.

We next see little Emma sipping hot chocolate (with cinnamon!) at Child Services. A woman asks her how long she’s been on the streets and Emma replies a few nights. She’s then asked her name and she gives it as “Emma Swan.” Thus we now know where Emma got her last name.

(I thought it had been established that it was the name of the foster family who originally adopted her but gave her up when they had a child of their own. Or was that fanon I mistook for canon?)

(Look at baby Emma!)