Welcome back Oncers! After a 3 month long hiatus, ‘Once Upon a Time’ returns and brings with it the beginnings of a new story arc that is so far looking like it won’t disappoint!
If you recall, when we last left Storybrooke, Emma and Henry escaped the purple haze with no recollection of who they really are or of the lives they had prior to leaving the town. They are now just two normal New York muggles living the life. The rest of the residents of Storybrooke? They were returned to the Enchanted Forest. In fact, the purple haze deposited them in the middle of Prince Phillip and Princess Aurora’s little love gazebo (apparently since we last saw Princess Aurora, not only did she manage to find her true love prince, but they also have a mini-prince or princess on the way). Fortunately for the former inhabitants of Storybrooke, they still have their memories intact. While the reunion was pleasant, Aurora is fearful as she tells Philip that “she” needs to know Snow, Charming, et al are back or else “she” may take it out on their child. Who is the “she”? We’ll get to that later.
Charming and Snow decide to gather up the rest of the Storybrooke folk and return to the kingdom. Baelfire wants to try to bring back Rumple back and return to Emma, but the pseudo in-laws tell him that might not be a good idea. Belle, however, thinks there is a way to get Rumple back.
After a saccharin sweet conversation between Snow and Regina where Snow convinces her to put her heart back in her body and find happiness, the two are attacked by none other than a flying monkey – our very first reference that #WickedIsComing. Of course, it’s none other than Robin Hood that saves the damsels in distress.
The band of Merry Men join the Storybrooke crew back to the kingdom and we find that Regina is a bit intrigued by their leader. When they get to the outskirts of the kingdom, they find out that the area is surrounded by a protection spell (that flashes Emerald green when you touch the shield around it). This makes Regina none too happy and she vows revenge to whoever is sitting in Mama Bear’s chair and eating her porridge.
Back in “Our World” (which apparently is 1 year later since the purple haze event) Emma has been dating a wonderful furniture shop owner named Walsh who wants to marry her. However, destroying the romantic ambiance is Hook who is determined to have Emma remember who she is and help her parents. He leaves her with an address that will explain it all to her.
While Emma can’t give Walsh an answer to his proposal, her little tete-a-tete with Henry, makes her think that maybe Walsh can be “the one”. But curiosity still has her hooked (see what I did there?) and she decides to go to the address that the pirate gave her. We find out that it is Baelfire/Neal’s old place. Emma meets the hunky pirate at Central Park and demands answers. He gives her a potion and tells her if she drinks it, her memories will return. What’s a girl to do? Handcuff the cutie and call the police.
Meanwhile, Emma decides to develop the film that was in a camera that she found in Neal’s apartment and the results have her shocked. She confronts Hook after he is released from custody and demands answers. He once again offers her the memory potion and to “trust her guts” if she really wants to know the truth.
Emma drinks and the memories flood back.
Back at her apartment, Emma and Hook catch up and he tells her that he received a message that there is a new curse and that the only hope is her. Their talk is interrupted by Walsh who is there for a dinner date. Emma takes him to the rooftop for a talk. While he may think she was going to make him the happiest man in the world, Emma tells him that she can’t marry him now and needs to go home. He doesn’t understand and wants to know why the change. He begs her to stay with him but she tells him she can’t. He then becomes angry.
Then he tells her he wishes she didn’t drink the potion!
Then he turns into a freakin’ flying monkey!
Monkey man attacks Emma but she is able to push him off the rooftop.
The next morning, Emma tells Henry that she broke it off with Walsh and that they are going on a trip… with Killian (aka Hook).
The trip? They return to Storybrooke. Yes, the town has reappeared and it’s under a new curse. Everyone is back and they have their memories but the last year of their lives has been wiped away. And how do they know it’s been a year? Apparently Charming and Snow got busy and Snow is pregnant (in real life the actors who play Snow and Charming, Ginnifer Goodwin and finance Josh Dallas, are expecting).
As for who cast the curse? None other than a familiar emerald skinned enchantress who has a beef against Regina. As she says, “Now I shall get my revenge. The queen may be evil, but I’m wicked. And wicked always wins.”
Fasten your seatbelts, Oncers! We aren’t in Kansas anymore!
