Once Upon A Time Season 4, Episode 3 "Rocky Road"

Or better title "Cold Hearted Mongoose"

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Robin and Marion take their little son to the local ice cream shop—the only other business in Storybrooke besides Granny's pub/dinner/laundromat.

The ice cream lady gives Marion a little something special with her sprinkled cone.

Emma and Hook confront Mr. Gold, but he has no memory of Elsa or Anna. Emma threatens to use her super power of lie detection on him.

Her words, not mine.

To prove he's not lying, Mr. Gold has Belle use the dagger to command him to tell the truth.

Psst...they don't know it's a fake.   

In a flashback, Elsa is determined to go after Anna to the enchanted forest. Kristoff shows up and tells her that the evil Prince Hans is building an army (including his twelve brothers) to invade her kingdom.



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Now that she's the new Mayor, Mary Margaret tries to hold a town meeting while holding her baby. While everyone begins to shout about tracking down Elsa for the evil ice wizard that she is, Marion passes out. 

Regina confides to Henry that she's trying to find out who wrote the original Storybook. She wonders if it's possible to change how she's written as the villain. Henry thinks it's a super swell idea and they give their quest a special name, Operation Mongoose.

Get it? That's where the title comes from. Ahem, anyway...

Robin rushes in and asks Regina to check Marion. The diagnosis isn't good, the magic will continue to make its way to her heart, and once it's frozen she'll die. Elsa says the only way to break a freezing spell is with true love's kiss.

Thanks Captain Obvious.

But Robin's kiss can't wake her. David says he saw this once before with Frederick.

Who's Frederick, you ask? It's from season one, entitled, "What happened to Frederick"

Kristoff decides to sneak away and spy on Hans and his army. He witnesses a feud between the brothers. Hans lets it slip there is a magical urn hidden in a cave that will trap Elsa, thereby leaving the kingdom unguarded. Elsa and Kristoff risk leaving the kingdom defenceless and travel through the forest in search of the urn.

Granny and Grumpy begin a mob intent on lynching Elsa. Nothing pleases the ice cream shop lady more.

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David and Emma go to Marion's camp site, looking for clues. They find one of his former Merry Men, and famed thieve. He has information; while on a stealing rampage during the black out, he noticed the ice cream shop didn't have any melted ice cream.

Isn't that interesting? It's also interesting there's a new business in town run by someone new.

Hook and Elsa go to Mr. Gold's shop. Hook threatens to tell Belle that Mr. Gold is lying because he knows the dagger is fake. Mr. Gold begrudgingly agrees to help Elsa. She gives him a strand of Marion's hair. He casts a spell and lets them see the magic that created the curse. He lets it free and the wave of tiny snowflakes journeys back to the source.

Follow the snowflakes!

Dr. Hopper runs into Mary Margaret who is finding life difficult doing everything while holding baby Neal. Dr. Hopper senses she's afraid to miss anytime with the baby since she wasn't there for Emma. He tells her it's okay and in fact healthier to let someone hold the baby once in awhile.

Emma, David, and the thief break into the ice cream shop. In the back, they discover everything is frozen. The thief empties the cash register and takes off.

Elsa and Kristoff find the urn in the cave. When Elsa picks up the urn, words magically appear, but she can't read the inscription. Hans and his brothers arrive and a clumsy sword fight ensues. Hans quickly has Kristoff at knife point. Elsa gives hands over the urn to spare his life.

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Hook and Elsa follow the snowflakes through the forest and find the ice cream shop lady, but now she's in a sparkly white dress. Hook leaves Emma a voice mail.

Hans opens the urn and a liquid escapes, filling the cave floor. It takes the form of the ice cream shop lady. She immediately freezes Hans. His brothers flee. The ice lady turns to Elsa and tells her she's been trapped inside the urn for a very long time. When Elsa questions her powers, the woman smiles and explains that Elsa's mother was her sister.

Auntie!

Hook's leg is suddenly caked in ice. The ice lady tries to convince Elsa they can only trust each other, and she drops the bombshell that her own sister, Anna was the one who trapped Elsa in the urn.

Oh, man. They lost me.

But Elsa isn't buying it, she knows the ice lady was trying to frame her for Marion's curse.

Emma and David finally show up. The ice lady calls Emma by name. Emma is slightly confused because she's never seen this woman before. She decides words are useless in this situation and uses her super power— not the lie detecting one, the convenient one when there's no other way out. She defeats the ice lady, but she still manages to escape.

In order to save Marion, Regina enchants her heart and removes it from her body before it freezes. She'll have to stay frozen until a cure is found.

Hook corners Emma and she confesses the reason she pulls away from him is because everyone she's ever been close to dies. He says, "I'm good at surviving."

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Mr. Gold encounters the ice lady in the forest. They know each other. She refuses his help and says, "I'm not ready to make a deal yet." He also knows her connection to Emma and reminds her if Emma remembers their past...it's game over baby.

Check out my other recaps of Once Upon A Time, here...even from the very first episode!

Once Upon A Time, Season 4, Episode 1, "A Tale of Two Sisters"

Or better title "Freezer Burn"



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The parents of Elsa and Anna are about to go down with their ship in a rough storm. The mother makes a quick note and puts it in a bottle. She says, "The girls need to know the truth."

Wow! Whatever she wrote on that note must be important. Which makes me wonder, why did the parents wait until certain death before sending this crucial tidbit to the girls? Why not have a letter in a safe back in the palace? Or entrust it with a trusted palace official? Or even one of those troll things? Or...oh never mind.   

Five years later Elsa and Anna visit their parent's grave. The two grow melancholy until Elsa brings up Anna and Kristoff's quickly approaching wedding. Elsa says she has a special present for Anna.
 

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Zipping to the present time, we see Elsa emerge from the symbol on the barn floor and enter Storybrooke. She walks along the darkened streets and almost gets run over by Grumpy's truck. She hits them with a wall of ice to prevent the accident.

Regina now has to deal with Robin Hood's newly arrived wife, Marion.

Poor Regina. It's bad enough your boyfriend's wife shows up, but when she calls you an evil witch in front of everyone...well, let's just say she's entitled to whatever diabolical plan she'll cook up later.

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Elsa excitedly shows Anna the present—their mother's wedding dress and a special snowflake pendant. Elsa starts reading their mother's diary that she just happened to find. Her eyes grow wide as she tearfully explains she's the reason their parents died.

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After Belle and Mr. Gold get married (gag), they visit Neal's grave. Mr. Gold is still keeping the dagger a secret from Belle. He privately vows to avenge Neal's death.

Psst...having secret agendas and magical weapons is the key to a long and happy marriage. 

Robin visits Regina and tells her that even though he's still hot for her, he has to stay loyal to his wife. He says he has to live by his code.

The code? You're a fairy tale character, dude.

Regina gets so mad she breaks a mirror with her hate. She picks up a shard and grins wickedly at herself. This gives her an idea. She slips into the hospital and makes her way to the psychiatric ward where they keep patients locked inside dark cells.

Um...is that right? Where are the police? Or...oh never mind.

Since there's no security or staff of any kind in this secret hospital prison, Regina peeks in on a patient in confinement and easily opens the door. It's Mr. Glass, her old mirror. And we all know Mr. Glass will do anything for his evil queen.

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Mr. Gold and Belle tour their new house. It has a huge library and comes with a ballroom, which comes in handy when they totally rip off the dance scene from Disney. It also comes with a small circular chest that's locked.

Nothing strange about that. 

Hook and Emma have one of those awkward talks when you make out with someone and then don't know what to say the next day. Grumpy interrupts them, screaming about an ice monster loose in Storybrooke.

Elsa is convinced their parents were so scared of her icy powers they tried to escape on that fateful ship.

Um...if they were so terrified why did they leave little Anna in the palace with Elsa? Or why not have Elsa shipped away to live in an igloo up north? Or why not banish her to the highest alp? Or...oh never mind. This is "Once Upon A Time" and logic rarely matters.

Emma and Hook follow a trail of ice. Elsa manages to conjure a snow monster that begins to cause chaos in the streets.

Not ready to believe Elsa's theory, Anna consults the troll king about their parent's last voyage. He says their parents were going to Misthaven, but for what reason he doesn't know. Anna is convinced they should travel there for the answer, but Elsa will not leave the kingdom.

While her snow monster roams the streets, Elsa hides in an alley where she happens to see a newspaper blow by with a wedding photo of Mr. Gold and Belle. 

That was fast, they just got married.

Regina brings Mr. Glass up to speed on what he's missed. She decides to go back in time to kill Marion before Emma can bring her back to Storybrooke.

Awesome plan. No snags there.
 

Elsa slips undetected through the streets of Storybrooke until she finds Mr. Gold's pawn shop.

 

Anna secretly takes off for Misthaven, leaving Elsa on shore with Kristoff.

The snow monster goes into the forest and happens to find Robin, Marion, Hook, Emma, and David at a campsite. Emma tries her magic, but it doesn't work. Regina shows up and destroys the beast right before it almost crushes Marion.

Regina leaves in a plume of purple smoke before anyone can thank her.

A lonely, soft flute plays in the background.

Hook tells Emma they should enjoy the quiet moments that come between fighting monsters, but she confesses she feels too guilty to make out because she ruined Regina's good times with Robin by bringing his wife back. 

Emma goes to Regina's house and tries to talk to her through the doorway. She says she's commited to giving everyone a happy ending.

So many inappropriate jokes happening in my mind right now.

Regina asks the mirror to help her change fate. She claims Henry's story book is the reason she's so unhappy. Then she announces, "It's time to find out who wrote this book and make them give the villains their happy ending."
 

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Mr. Gold looks at his sleeping bride and while he polishes his secret dagger. Sorry, that came out wrong. He uses it to open the small chest. Inside is what looks like a tiny universe.

Whoa! What the heck have the writers been drinking?

Elsa watches helplessly as Anna's ship leaves for Misthaven. Kristoff tells her Misthaven is another name for the enchanted forest. Anna stands on the deck of the ship with her eyes full of hope. She touches the snowflake pendant and smiles.
 

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Back in Storybrooke Elsa breaks into Mr. Gold's shop. She finds the snowflake pendant and whispers, "I'll find you Anna."

Dun dun dun!!!

Hey, if you liked this, check out my other Once Upon A Time recaps here.