Last week’s pilot episode of Once Upon A Time really opened people’s eyes to the new world the writers of ‘Lost’ have created. We were introduced to Henry, who believe’s that the town he lives in, Storybrooke, is actually a cursed town, and that the people who live there are fairy tale characters. Henry recruits his birth mother to come fight his adopted mother, Regina. Luckily for Henry, he’s right, and the town is cursed by Regina, who is the Evil Queen in Story Time. Henry’s teacher, Mary Margaret Blanchard is Snow White, and Emma, Henry’s birth mother, is the one to save them all. If you missed the first episode, you can read my ‘Once Upon A Time: Pilot’ recap to catch up.
Real Time
This week begins with the town noticing that the town clock, which has never moved, has suddenly started telling the time. Regina confronts Henry about the end of the book, because the pages have been ripped out. He tells her that the book is old, and sometimes things fall apart. He runs off to school before Regina can talk to him further on the subject. Regina, irritated that she cannot find out the ending to the book, stomps off into town, and notices the town clock. Archie walks up next to her, thinking that the old gears must have decided to work again. Regina goes to visit Emma, with a basket of honeycrisp apples, specifically stating that Emma should leave. After a tense conversation, Regina threatens Emma again, telling her to leave.
Regina hires a reporter to do research on Emma. He comes up with nothing, other than she had some incidents when she was younger that are locked tight, that she doesn’t stay in one place very long and that Henry was born in Phoenix. When asked how she came to have Henry if he was born so far away, Regina changes the subject and tells the reporter that he is useless, and that if he doesn’t come up with anything he was going to be thrown away.
After Henry sends Emma a hot chocolate with cinnamon on top (her favorite) in a diner, they talk about the things that are going on. Henry explains that time has been frozen in this town, that the characters don’t know their past, but the clock started moving when Emma arrived so she has to be the one to save them. He gives Emma the final pages of the book, saying Regina can’t ever see them. When they get to the school Emma talks to Mary Margaret Blanchard. Emma asks her about how Regina became the Mayor, but she says that Regina has been the Mayor for as long as she can remember, and that everyone has been too terrified to run against her. Emma asks who Henry believes she is, and when she replies that she is Snow White, a look of shock passes Emma’s face. Miss Blanchard tells Emma where to find Archie, Henry’s therapist.
Archie is extremely helpful with Emma, saying that Henry has a vivid imagination and a lot of problems. He says that Regina and Henry have tried to connect but things have fallen flat with that. He tells Emma to take Henry’s files, that she means a great deal to him and that he wants her to help. As soon as Emma leaves with the files, Archie calls Regina, who it turns out set everything up this way. Later, Sheriff Graham comes to Granny’s Bed and Breakfast, where Emma is staying, and arrests her for being hostile and stealing the files. While that is going on, Regina goes to Henry and tells him that Emma is a con woman and was trying to trick Henry. Henry doesn’t believe her, and with Miss Blanchard goes and bails Emma out. To show Regina she isn’t scared, Emma goes and cuts down part of her honeycrisp apple tree. She tells Regina she can keep playing games, but next time the whole tree comes down.
There is a new town ordinance passed and Granny has to kick Emma out of the Bed and Breakfast. When she goes to get in her car, there is a boot on the front wheel. Regina calls Emma to her office, which Emma agrees to go. It starts off pleasant, as Regina apologizes for her behavior, but when Emma calls Henry crazy he overhears and runs away. Emma accuses Regina of doing that on purpose, and she all but says that that is what she did.
Emma goes to see Miss Blanchard, to pay her back the bail money and to tell her she’s leaving. Mary invites her in, and they talk about Henry. Emma is afraid of hurting Henry more, but Mary argues that her caring about Henry’s feelings and wanting to make sure he’s okay means she cares about him, and that she should stay. They leave and find Henry at Archie’s. He doesn’t want to talk about things, but Emma convinces him that this is all a part of the plan to keep Regina off of their trail. She burns the final pages of the book, and the two of them hug.
Regina is picking apples when Mr. Gold appears. He tells her that Emma isn’t leaving, and that she still owes him. He asks where she thought of the name Henry. He was the one who brought him to her. When Regina asks about Emma and what he knows about her, he refuses to answer the questions. He says please, and walks away.
Story Time
Story time begins back at the beginning of the story, when Prince Charming and Snow White are wed and Evil Queen comes and threatens the party. The story is about the events that happened after, from the Evil Queen’s point of view.
The Evil Queen decides to visit her dear friend Maleficent to get her “Dark Curse” back. Maleficent tries to argue with her that sending everyone to another world isn’t going to change anything, and tries to convince her to get a pet instead. They fight, physically with spells, until the Evil Queen gets her spell back. She tells Maleficent she didn’t kill her because she is her only friend, and leaves.
The Evil Queen meets with the other villains on top of a clip. She says the Dark Curse will bring them to a place where the villains can finally win. They each donate a lock of their hair, and she puts in the heart of her finest steed. She casts the spell, but it doesn’t work. A dwarf mocks her failure, and she turns him to stone. (He is later seen in Regina’s garden as a gnome!) She goes and talks to her father, who tries to convince her that her revenge on Snow White is a dark and lonely road, and she won’t be able to turn back once she starts down it. She tells him that she has to get Snow back for what she did to her, and goes to see Rumplestiltskin, the one who gave her the curse, to find out what she did wrong. He tells her that her horse was no sacrifice, that if she wants to present a real sacrifice she has to give up someone she loves. “Great power comes from great sacrifice.” He also reminds her that every curse can be broken, and that Snow White’s unborn child can break the curse.
Conflicted, The Evil Queen goes and sees her father again, and tells him that for the Dark Curse to work she has to kill someone she loves. Both of them knowing the only one she loves is him, he asks her not to do it. Not for self serving purposes, but he doesn’t want her to go down this road. Hugging him and crying, she says that this is her only way to happiness, and kills him. She sacrifices his heart to the Dark Curse which is properly cast and takes over. Before she leaves, she leaves a rose on a tombstone marked Henry, and says ‘I love you Daddy”
This week’s Once Upon a Time was intriguing, I like the idea of going into each individual story. I think they’ve created a great character with Emma, being on the fence between an idea in a child’s mind or it actually being true. The Evil Queen/Regina is a great contrast to that, and the story leaves you wanting more.
What did you think of this weeks Once Upon a Time? Now that you’ve seen more than one episode, do you plan to continue watching it? What do you want to see more of?
