Once Upon A Time Season 5, Episode 12 "Souls of the Departed"

Or better title, "Your Questions Are Pointless"

The mid-season premiere opens with Emma waking up in her yellow bug. Neal pops up from the backseat and explains this is his happily ever after and he's totally content to live in the abandoned amusement park by himself.

Instead of embracing her former true love she tells Neal she's going to the Underworld to rescue Hook. There's a little awkward stepping around the fact she didn't consider doing the same with Neal.

Anyway, he warns her not to go.

Emma, her parents, Regina, Mr. Gold, and Henry arrive in the Underworld and it looks just like Storybrooke...except everything is filmed through a red lens and everyone has shifty eyes.

Emma is full and questions and so am I? Why does the Underworld look exactly like Storybrooke?

But Mr. Gold says, "Your questions are pointless."

True, dat. This is OUAT after all. 

In a flashback to the Enchanted forest, the Evil Queen confronts a group of villages who won't give away the hiding place of Snow White. Then she returns to her castle and complains to her dad about how her birthday stinks bigtime.

Back in the Underworld we learn that Cora is in charge.

Although, didn't Regina take out all the darkness of her heart and give it back to her? Why hasn't she moved on like Neal?

Meanwhile at Underworld Granny's, Mary Margaret is kissed passionately by David, except it turns out it's his twin, James.

This is AWESOME!!! I can only imagine the twists and shenanigans we'll be enjoying now that rascally, James is in town. But instead of building up that fun story line, we have to listen to Cora painfully explain to Regina that she has to high tail it out of the Underworld or Cora will be forced to start burning people to death.

Um...what? Why? How can you burn people who are already dead?

Back at the Underworld Pawn Shop, Mr. Gold runs into Peter Pan. This is great news because I loved these two battling it out. And now that Henry is a bit older since the last time they met, the dynamics will be interesting to watch.

Instead, Pan hands over a random vial of potion to Mr. Gold that lets people talk to the dead once it's poured over their graves.

Why would people have graves in the Underworld if they're walking around the Underworld?

Speaking of graves, Mr. Gold meets Emma at Hook's tombstone. Apparently the Underworld is no match for a famous pirate who used to be the Dark One. And of course, the potion doesn't completely work and they can only see Hook, not speak with him.

Don't look too long at this gif, it will cause seizures.

However, Regina has better luck over her dad's grave...

How come the potion worked for him?

For a character that's had hardly any mention in the last four seasons, Henry Senior gets several monologues! He tells Regina not to leave the Underworld, but to stay and help her friends.

Meanwhile in the flashback, Cora has somehow out magicked herself from Wonderland and steals Snow White's heart. She then gives this token to Regina as a birthday present. But when Regina watches Snow White through the magic mirror, she doesn't die while Regina squeezes the enchanted heart, instead one of the guards collapses.

It seems Henry switched enchanted hearts.

Okay, WTF, people? Henry also has the ability to rip out hearts?!?

Miffed that her only birthday present turned out to be a dud, Evil Regina shrinks her dad and puts him in a box. Then she banishes Cora back to Wonderland, maybe for good this time, who knows? However, Cora grabs the little box containing little Henry.

But then, when Regina banished Cora back to Wonderland, Cora took Regina's dad with her.

Back in the Underworld, even though Regina's parents are giving her opposite advice, they keep explaining what will happen although I'm not entirely sure what is going on. Why will Cora be forced to burn people?

I wonder what Neal is doing in the abandoned amusement park?

Anyway, when Regina decides to stay in the Underworld, the fire around her dad disappears and a bridge to heaven appears for Henry senior to ascend. There was a touching moment when Henry junior meets Henry senior. But this whole point felt forced and I didn't enjoy it as much as the usual
'Regina epiphany' moments.

And then we're left with this cliffhanger...

Darn. New villain for Mr. Gold and Emma and Regina to make a temporary alliance to defend. Just like last season...and the season before that...and the season before...


Which villain are you hoping to see the next episode?

Once Upon A Time Season 5, Episode 2 "The Price"

Or better title "Whiplash"

Buckle your seatbelts because this episode did more time travel than Mary McFly.

Storybrooke Runs Amok

The dwarfs are a bit freaked about Emma being the Dark One. They race to the town limits desperate to escape, but when Dopey crosses the line he turns into a tree, firmly rooted in the asphalt.

There goes that plan.

In a bid to break the curse over Emma, Hook goes to Mr. Gold's shop and asks Belle why the power of true love's kiss can't help him get Emma back. Belle says something about power and darkness and whatever...and I lose focus because she's not really saying anything. Then she leaves him with this gem. "It's far easier to hate a Dark One than to love one."

*epic eye roll*

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Henry tries his best to get used to his mom's new look. Emma feels bad because he feels bad, but not bad enough to tell him why she erased everyone's memories. "Hey, it's just part of the curse," she explains.

Regina shows up and they go all 'mean girls' and Emma drops a hint that something super bad is coming to Storybrooke and only a true savior can save the town.

Regina mumbles, "Stupid savior...whatever."

Meanwhile across town, King Arthur and two of his hot knights ride horseback down Main Street. He doesn't have Excalibur anymore and is also clueless to the last six weeks. They quickly find Mary Margaret and Davie who confesses that Emma is the Dark One who caused this mess.

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King Arthur doesn't waste time and suggests, "No worries, just use the dagger against the Dark One!"

"She has the dagger."

"We're screwed."

Savior Swap

We flashback to Camelot as Emma and Regina meet Queen Gueneviere. King Arthur then escorts takes them to his courtyard where he shows them a tree in which Merlin is trapped. He says, "Step forward savior..."

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Emma is about to step forward, but Regina takes her place in order to keep Emma's true identity as the Dark One a secret. Emma knows she can't use her magic because it will be dark and she'll lose control because her inner darkness loves the power too much, baby.

Regina's like, "No problem, I've got this."


Regina's Woes

Storybrooke turns into a refugee camp for lost characters from Camelot. Regina and Robin have a heart to heart about how know no one thinks she can save the town.

I smell low self-esteem.

Meanwhile, Queen Guinevere reunites with King Arthur, and she's upset to learn that he's lost Excalibur.

David pipes up like the nosy eavesdropper he is and says, "If it's here, we'll find your sword."

Before I can change the channel, a black skeleton thing swoops in from above and takes Robin away.

Across town, Emma invites Hook to her new Dark One pad. She gives him a drink and says, "Hey, just because I'm the Dark One doesn't mean we can't still be together."

He's cool with it and they start to make out, but then he steps back and oh-uh, Emma still has weird hair and eyebrows. Geez kids, it looks like true love's kiss didn't break the curse.

He demands to know what happened in Camelot. She says, "I'm tired of talking, do you want to stay or not?"

I like this new Emma, actually. She's all badass and says it like it is.

But he turns her down. "This may be who you are, but this isn't who I am."

Oh my god, he's been hanging out with Belle too much.

There's a foot race through the forest and Regina fights the skeleton thing and loses.  Mary Margaret insists she go to the hospital and Regina immediately assumes this is a reflection on her abilities.

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"You don't think I can do this!" she whines.

Mary Margaret says, "Um, no. I think you're face is bleeding. Not everything is about your magical powers."


Busted

One of King Arthur's knights gives Regina a big ole amulet since she's the savior. But Regina is worried because firstly, she doesn't know how to dance, and secondly, she's not the real saviour. David teaches her to dance and I can't help but wonder why I'm watching this show.

Then we realize the amulet is like a magical nanny cam and the knight is watching and listening to everything!

Where's Selena during all of this?

Regina goes to Mr. Gold's bedside and monologues about how she hates being the former evil queen and how no one trusts she's good enough to save Storybrooke. Belle taps her on the shoulder and regurgitates the latest research she's unearthed about flying skeletons who kidnap lovers.

Apparently the demon is called a Fury. It's in Storybrooke because someone used black magic in Camelot and now the Fury needs to take a body to the underworld as payment...or something. Plus, they need to wait for a full moon or maybe not, I'm a little hazy on the details. However, I do know if Robin is to be saved, someone has to give their life in his place.

How about the tree at the town limits?


To the Death

Back at the ball, Henry takes a giant leap into puberty and crosses the floor to introduce himself to a young princess named, Violet.

I hope this leads to something important to the plot because this scene took five minutes off my life.

The sneaky knight who has been eavesdropping finally dances with Regina. He calls her bluff and says he was a little boy when she burned his village years ago as the Evil Queen. He draws a sword and tries to stab Regina. Robin intervenes and gets stabbed instead. Then David (who is always poking his nose in other people's business) kills the knight.

These people ruin every party.

Regina begs Emma to stop the Fury. Emma says, "The price is not mine to pay. You're the one who used dark magic in Camelot. The price to pay has to be yours."

Now I've got the theme to the Price is Right running through my mind.


Black Magic

We see Regina struggle to heal Robin's wounds, but her magic won't work because—oh my god this is such a farce—because the sword was cursed to kill her.

She begs Emma to use her magic even though there may be a risk that her magic will go dark. Emma gets a hallucinatory message from Rumpelstitskin that if she uses her dark magic there will be a price to pay, but it's Regina's to pay since she asked for it.

Got that?

Emma uses her magic, saves Robin and doesn't freak out and pull out everyone's heart. But...her hand turned kind of gross.

Big deal.


Price to Pay

Regina rushes to give up her life to save Robin's as the ferryman from the underworld comes closer. But Mary Margaret, David and few dwarfs link hands with her. Six souls were too much for the Fury and it self implodes. The ferryman disappears and Robin is safe.


Grumpy proclaims that if Regina can stand up to that monster, she can save the town.

Bingo! Regina now has confidence.



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This calls for a celebration at Granny's pub/diner/Laundromat.

Hey, where's Ruby?

Belle and Hook talk about how true love's kiss only works when it's convenient to the plot.

Henry finds Violet again, but neither of them have any memory of meeting each other.

David consoles Mary Margaret about having a Dark One as a daughter.

Emma stands across the street all alone in her black trench coat. With nothing else to do she returns to her house to find Rumpelstiltskin waiting for her. He shows her the secret in her basement—Excalibur is there, stuck in the stone.

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"You have the power to do what no Dark One has ever been able to accomplish," he says. "Make the sword whole."

Putting down the dagger, Emma tries to free the sword but is blown away by a force. Rumpelstiltskin laughs and says she can do it with magic, but she'll have to pay the price.



Who was tonight's MVP?

#1. The Fury
#2. Henry's Adam's apple
#3. The dwarf who got turned into a tree

Once Upon A Time Season 4, Episode 7 "Smash the Mirror"

Or better title, "Sister Act"

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A long time ago...

The Snow Queen pays a visit to the wild haired apprentice with news that she has the mysterious wizard's stolen magic hat...'cause she stole it from Anna who stole it from Rumpelstiltskin.

I thought he was a mouse?

Ingrid will give the wizard back his hat in exchange for the happiness she once knew with her sisters. Then she boldly asks for two magical sisters, just like her. Okay, make that one magical sister—she's already found Elsa.

The apprentice frowns. The spell to find her perfect match for a third sister will take time. She assures him she is a very patient woman.

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Henry finds Emma hiding in the forest with her dangerous spark sputtering hands. His voice cracks as he tells Emma that her powers won't hurt the ones she loves, but when she tries to hug him he gets zapped and ends up falling down and cutting his ear.

"Its okay, Mom," he whimpers, running away.

The Snow Queen arrives (still in the white dress and three inches of cleavage *rolls eyes*) ready to lend an empathetic ear. "Don't worry about those muggle losers, you're magical and that's super cool. Let's start a club called Sisters Rule! We'll make t-shirts!"

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Robin and Regina wake up after a full night of making out in the crypt. He says, "Let me take you back to my camp and cook you breakfast?"

She could say, "Hey, why don't I try and find a curse to wake up your frozen wife." Instead she shows him the storybook that details all the lives of the fairy tale characters. Robin has never seen the book. She laments how the author wrote her as a villain...and we all know villains never have happy endings. Robin takes this as a challenge and they make out again.

Mary Margaret is worried about Emma hiding in the woods. Elsa says, "When your powers are out of control you don't want to be around the people you love. But they're the only ones that can help you."

Henry arrives with his bloody ear and everyone exchanges awkward glances.

Back in Arendale, Elsa is excited to prepare a welcome back dinner for Anna. Ingrid arrives and tells Elsa the truth about her parents wanting to take away her powers, then she drops the bomb that she was trapped in the urn by Elsa's mother. And now Anna plans to do the same to Elsa.

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Emma asks Mr. Gold to help her control her powers.

"There's only one way," he says. "If you lose your power you'll be...ordinary."

Gasp! Dear God, not ordinary!

However, the spell will set off such a blast that everything, except Emma, will be destroyed within a city block radius. They agree to meet at an abandoned mansion that no one has every heard of in Storybrooke.

Elsa pays Anna a visit in the dungeon.

Um...who the heck put her in there? Ingrid? How can a stranger lock up one of the princesses? Doesn't Elsa rule the kingdom?

Anyway, Elsa lets Anna know she has a plan to trap evil Aunt Ingrid back into the urn.

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Emma calls Mary Margaret with the good news that she's getting rid of her magic forever. Hook is suspicious and makes a secret call on his cell phone, but apparently Emma's not taking anymore calls and it goes straight to voice mail.

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Elsa and Anna search the castle for the urn. They go straight to the forbidden East Wing which no one has talked about before this moment. The sisters wonder what it must have been like for their mother to turn on her own sister.

*cough* FORESHADOW! *cough*

They find a cabinet with a frozen Hans inside, and the guess what? The urn is behind him.

Mr. Gold pays the Snow Queen a visit inside her winter wonderland bedroom. They both monologue about their diabolical plans. Mr. Gold has the upper hand as he sprinkles the remnants of the urn around the Snow Queen, temporarily trapping her in place.

Robin visits Will at Granny's pub/diner/laudromat with the stolen storybook. He asks Will to help him find the author.

Mary Margaret pines over pictures of Emma and wonders if they should rush out to stop her from releasing her powers. David says, "Nah, she'll be better ordinary."

Elsa eavesdrops and is disturbed that Emma's parents wouldn't accept her as she is. She takes the vial of locator spell Regina dropped off earlier and Emma's red scarf (a scarf we've never seen her wear).

Will and Robin break into the library looking for a clue about the storybook.

Regina asks Henry to talk about what happened when Emma sent him smashing into the forest floor. She magics his wound all better, but instead of saying, thanks, he gets all bummed out that he doesn't have any magical powers. Regina's all, "Don't worry about Emma, she's the hero and heroes always win."

Hook leaves Emma another voice mail about Mr. Gold's evil plan to take her power and put it into the magic hat. He then confesses Mr. Gold has the real dagger and that he didn't say anything before because of that nasty blackmail thing with the video tape of him helping Mr. Gold kill the apprentice.

Emma refuses to stop changing the radio station while driving, melting the dashboard. She gets distracted and almost runs over the Snow Queen. Instead, she swerves and crashes her yellow bug and goes unconscious.

*Yawn*

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Anna hides the urn in her jail, ready to trick Ingrid when she arrives to punish her. Oops, all of a sudden Ingrid appears inside the jail with her and puts Anna in chains. She's wise to their little scheme. Ingrid casts a spell called 'shattered sight' on Anna making her see the worst in everyone she loves.

Emma wakes up with perfect hair and the Snow Queen appears in the form of a hologram, warning her Mr. Gold shouldn't be trusted.

When Regina finds out no one is trying to stop Emma from losing her magic she goes into parenting mode. They talk about being ordinary and normal and how magic comes at a price and never dies...or something like that.

Regina and Mary Margaret walk in the dark forest looking for Emma while talking about good and evil and how the book decides all things. Blah...blah...magic comes at a price. Ordinary sucks. Go magic.

Will and Robin are at the library. Without being seen, someone has slipped a piece a paper inside Robin's pocket! He quickly calls Regina.

Thank goodness for magic cell phone reception in the deepest parts of the forest!

Emma meets Mr. Gold in the abandoned mansion. He creates a magic vortex with the hat, but he tells Emma it's just a spell to take away her magic. Emma has second thoughts. Mr. Gold tells her he wouldn't go to the room because he's a man who always chooses power. Then he pulls a little reverse psychology by saying she always does the right thing.

Hook arrives and battles outside with Mr. Gold.

Elsa follows the red scarf to the abandoned mansion, seeing neither Hook nor Mr. Gold.

Anna arrives under the spell of shattered sight and lays into Elsa about how she ignored her all those years. Elsa refuses to use her powers on her sister, even as Anna opens the urn and traps Elsa inside.

Anna comes to her senses and Ingrid freezes the whole palace. She takes the urn and leaves speedy quick.

Elsa tells Emma she can control her magic, but being supporting by the people you love isn't enough, she has to accept and embrace her own powers. Then Elsa says, "It's time to stop being afraid."

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Emma's sparks touch Elsa's icicle fingers and....the lights stop flickering.

Whoa! That's some amazing magic show.

Mr. Gold looks shocked when the house doesn't explode. But then he lets us know about the secret ingredient to cast the spell that will cleave him from the power of the dagger—he needs the heart of someone who knew him before he was the dark one...and the only one alive is Hook. He takes the heart easily without disturbing Hook's shirt or chest hair, but now Hook is controlled by Mr. Gold.

Regina meets up with Robin in the library. He shows her the piece of paper he found—it's a picture of them meeting inside the pub, instead of her running away which she did the first time. They figure this means Regina deserves happiness or something...

Back in Arendale, Ingrid retrieves the magic hat from the cave. She calls Rumplestiltskin to make a deal, but the apprentice arrives. He convinces her the wizard will reunite her with Elsa and has found a third sister that will be a perfect match. She hands over the hat, he gives her a scroll to help her find the third sister and opens a door to another world...1992 to be exact.

Everyone is happy Emma still has her powers and even better, she's in control and can make northern lights and fireworks and stuff.

Oh-uh. A yellow ribbon suddenly appears on Emma and Elsa's wrists, harnessing their power.

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Mr. Gold visits the Snow Queen, she's ecstatic that Elsa is the one who saved Emma. And now that all three have embraced their powers, the Snow Queen is more powerful.

Okay, people. Who is your pick for this episode's MVP? Click your choice on the pole station to the right.

Check out my other Once Upon A Time recaps here!

Once Upon A Time, Season 4, Episode 6 "The Snow Queen"

 

Or better title "Family Feud"



We're princesses! Let's play with this broken kite!
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Through the miracle of flashbacks, we learn that Ingrid and her two little sisters, Gerta and Helga were almost kidnapped by a kite flying predator, but Ingrid uses her icy powers to stop the abduction. A frozen tree branch falls on the creep and kills him.

Dead predator.
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Gerta and Helga manage to recover quickly from witnessing their sister kill a dude with icicles and while his body lays five feet away, they promise each other to always stay true and keep Ingrid's secret. They use the ribbon from the kite to make bracelets for all three of them.

Let's decorate ourselves with evidence from the felon we killed!

No longer interested in blending in the Snow Queen roams the streets of Storybrooke in her Kardashian inspired maximum cleavage wedding gown. She goes to the clock tower and produces another magic mirror.

Regina pours over magical text books about reanimating your boyfriend's wife, but she's interrupted by Robin and his words of luv. "I don't know what to do!" he says.

Maybe stop dropping in on your ex-girlfriend?

Emma and Elsa study a book with elfish writing and they discover a spell with a candle and something else, but I'm distracted by Elsa's blue dress.

You know, the dress she's been wearing for every episode.

But Emma's magic isn't strong enough. She leaves Elsa and finds Mary Margaret and baby Neal at a sing song with other fairy tale characters and their babies (including Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty).

Keep that freaking magic away from my baby!
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Emma gets a little jealous because she never had this fun stuff with her mother since she was the savior and all that. Mary Margaret gets a little freaked out when Emma makes the baby bottle start to boil. But before she can say, "This episode will be about family treating you differently when you can't control your magical powers," David comes on the walkie talkie to tell Emma the Snow Queen is in the clock tower.

Emma and Elsa arrive at the clock tower with the magic candle. This time Emma makes no mistake and is able to light the thing. A pair of firey handcuffs keep the Snow Queen from fighting back.

Oh, and Hook is there too. Why?

No really, go without me. I'm totally okay with it.
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Ingrid and her sisters gets ready for a special ball for their father. But Ingrid has spent the last ten years hiding herself and her powers so she doesn't get to dance or have any good fancy times. A Duke from a neighbouring kingdom has eyes for Greta. Soon the oomp pa pa band starts up. Ingrid sneaks in to watch and begins to cry because she is such a freak and all. And every body knows, freaks don't get married to Dukes.

This is about to get Orange is the New Black.
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Emma and Elsa interrogate the Snow Queen, but she refuses to give up any info about Anna. Elsa says, "We know Anna is alive. We heard her heart beat on Bo Peep's crook."

Man, if I had a nickel for every time I heard that sentence.

The Snow Queen mentions Emma's 'super power' as a human lie detector. Then they hit on the 'your family will shun you because of your magic' element for a bit to establish the plot theme for anything who hasn't caught on by now.

Henry gets all fancified in a suit and tie to work at the Pawn Shop with Gramps. Regina holds back her tears about Robin and talks about happy endings and how operation Mongoose is now her new focus.

The Snow Queen lets Emma know that she was protecting her by erasing her memories. then she says, "Elsa and I are your only family because we are the only ones alike."

Um...this is frickin' Once Upon A Time, every one has powers; Tinkerbell, Regina, Mr. Gold, Peter Pan, the Blue Fairy...

Ingrid confesses to her sisters that she is leaving and handing the throne over to Helga. Gerta pipes up and says there is someone, a sorcerror, that maybe able to help them, Rumpelstiltskin.

Duh.

Belle arrives at the clock tower and can tell in one glance that the mirror is a fake.

Oh my gosh! The Snow Queen tricked them AGAIN. She wanted to get caught on purpose. Why?

Emma is in danger! When they arrive at the jail, they see the doors frozen shut.

Wil and Robin chew the fat at Granny's pub/diner/Laundromat and reminisce about the good ole days as Merry Men in the forest. Robin tries to convince himself that he's still in love with Marion.

Check it out. Our new fall line.
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Ingrid and her sisters visit Rumpelstiltskin to see if he can take away her powers. He tells them their sisterly bond is very strong. He gives her a pair of gloves and a gold vase that will be her failsafe if her magic gets out of control. In return, he takes the ribbons around their wrists, which interestingly enough still fit after ten years.


The Snow Queen works the misunderstood magical person angle with Emma. "You can't love somebody you don't understand." Emma freaks and blows out a wall. The Snow Queen is excited Emma has shown her true power, plus she gets to escape jail.

Thank goodness the yellow bug was there.
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When David and the others arrive to find a hole blown out the side of the Sheriff's office, Emma tells them to run away because she can't trust her powers. David gets hurt and Emma takes this as proof that she is indeed a monster. Mary Margaret feels guilty for not hugging Emma after she blew up the jail.

This is a fake mustache!
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With her fancy gloves, Ingrid is now able to hang out in her royal robes. The Duke (who looks like someone's fourteen year old kid who wandered onto the set) shows up and makes a few passes. Ingrid's gloves drop and she pushes him away with her frozen powers. Helga arrives and tells him to get his creepy arse back to his kingdom. A fight ensues and Ingrid ends up zapping Helga by mistake, turning her into a pile of ice cubes.

Awkward.

Oops.
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Robin finds Regina in her tomb of candles and magic books. He doesn't say much but the meeting ends in a hot kiss.

Whoo-hoo!

Gerta finds Ingrid and her sister, now transparent and melting. Gerta calls her a monster and grabs the failsafe golden urn. It sucks her up lickity split. Gerta takes the gloves and travels to the Troll King and asks him for a mega potion to ensure that every one in the kingdom forgets there were three sisters.

Troll time.
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The Snow Queen arrives at Mr. Gold's pawn shop and asks for her ribbons back. She knows the one last item he needs in order to cleave himself from the dagger to be able to leave Storybrooke and start to rule the world.

And she knows all of this...how?

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Oh, she's owned the magic hat. Simple. And since Mr. Gold will rule the world, she's only asking to rule Storybrooke.

When he agrees, she leans over and whispers the answer to him.

Why? They're alone in the store.

Anyway, he grins so it's either a home perm kit to make him look like Rumpelstiltskin again or Hook's hook.

Check out my other Once Upon A Time recaps here!

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!

Top Ten Times You Totally Wished You Were Emma Swan

Despite being hunted by villains every episode of Once Upon A Time, determined to wreck any chance she has at happiness, Emma Swan is still having a whole lotta good times.

The Top Ten Times You Totally Wished You Were Emma Swan

#1. Hanging out with the Mad Hatter

I counted one thousand, two hundred and sixteen 'smoldering stare' moments. Plus this, 'nuzzle the tip of your ear while I talk into your hair' moment wasn't half bad either.

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 #2. Kissing Cap'n Sexy Eyes

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#3. Having Snow White and Prince Charming love you unconditionally.

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#4. Eating this donut!

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#5. Slaying this dragon in one shot!!!



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#6. Flying in a magic ship!




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#7. Finding out you have magical powers at the most convenient time.

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#8. Kissing Schmexy.



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#9. Riding a motorcycle with this dude!

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#10. Always having 'shampoo commercial worthy' hair.

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