Into the Deep

"Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds." -Bob Marley,  Redemption Song

  ** All photos posted here are chosen for a reason **


Dream Weaver

I was particularly all fired up about this week's episode as it dealt with the dreaming mind- the many rooms, levels, realms and planes of consciousness. Waking up from a life spent in a deep sleep would truly be a gift for everyone.

It is interesting to see that Henry has not been though the "Sleeping Curse" yet has the ability to experience the "inferno room" trip while sleeping. {Henry did slip into the coma type sleep like David/Charming when he ate the turnover.} Perhaps there's more to his specialness than we're aware of.

Aurora and Snow may not be the only ones who have been through a sleeping curse. Charming/David was unconscious for 28 years in a "coma", and then upon waking he has amnesia. What makes his sleeping coma different than a sleeping curse?  In some weird way aren't all the residents of Storybrooke victims of a sort of Sleeping Curse?  I know, I know, it's a banishment curse that takes away memory, but I mean think about this... a bunch of people/fairy tale characters have been walking around in a haze going through the motions almost like zombies, not aging, with screwed up memories and stuck in a cursed town that keeps them oblivious. In a way they have been exempt from time and space. They are in another "realm"- and some are aware that they can travel to other realms.

We're learning a lot about many realms and worlds- worlds that press up against each other, connected, but we can't ignore that in Storybrooke we've seen what can be described as a layering effect.  Meaning, right underneath Storybrooke is bits and pieces of their world- Fairy Tale Land/The Enchanted Forest. We've even seen the woods of Storybrooke blend into the forest of Fairy Tale Land.  So again, it seems other realms or levels aren't really very far away from home- you just have to know how to access its doorways.

Henry's sleeping adventure is where his consciousness (some believe the soul) travels to a higher realm. It is a form of Astral Travel or Astral Projection. That means the astral body leaves the physical body to travel in the astral plane.  Astral projection/ travel, dreams, mediation, even an LSD trip, are forms of out-of-body experience.

Another important bit of info we get in this episode is that we see that these dream trips are used as a tool for these characters as a way to communicate and reach each other. There is a deep need to help and protect and to get the family back together.

Why doesn't Regina try to go into the Disco Inferno Room? Doesn't she know all the secrets of the universe? I guess not.

A familiar question comes up in my mind with this story, as it is one I asked many times while watching LOST- What does "dead" really mean?  Couldn't it simply mean someone/they isn't literally dead- just in different realms or levels? 

Is someone being misguided?

The FIRE ESCAPE

Does this Inferno Room have another way out? Perhaps there's an escape hatch or a... fire escape.  I saw a fire escape door in the sheriff's office.  Is that door simply a way out of that building in case of a fire? I sure hope so. But could it lead to or from some place special?

I have fun calling it the Disco Inferno Room, due to the floor looking like a familiar one from a club in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn {2001 Odyssey}, but that same grid floor's identity changes for me once Snow and Charming are on it; becoming a more of a Chess game board.

There's no place like home

I know a little bit about being lost, drifting in the dark... with no one to talk to, nothing to do except think of all the people that you love and how you'll never see them again- but I did see them again.  But that's a whole other tale completely!

All are on a journey and the journey itself is Home.

Emma: Em... The Wizard of Oz- Aunt Em (Emily) and the Emerald City.  Dorothy is indeed a child who is living on a farm with a sort of foster family in Kansas. There is love in that family. But remember that Aunt Em and Uncle Henry aren't the birth parents of Dorothy. They may be relatives, but they are substitutes for parents.

Emma wants to blame Regina for the things that have happened and the place she is currently in, but she needs to learn that whatever happened - happened; Just as Regina must learn. She can't change the past, and it's not worth time and energy placing blame.  She can only learn from experiences and choices of the past and let go of it.  Maybe Emma just needs to let herself and others off the hook.


Things to Note...Questions to Ask...

๑ Cora reanimates/resurrects the dead and/or sleeping. Dr. Whale reanimates his brother in The Doctor
๑ Hypnosis. Dream. Mediation
๑ Head {Decapitation: body separate from head}
๑ Zombies: dead yet un-dead. Body goes through the motions with no consciousness/self-awareness.
๑ Plucky
๑ Snow White understands black crow caws/speak
๑ Poppies (In The Wizard of Oz poppies put Dorothy and friends to sleep)
๑ Cora feels betrayed by Hook. Regina feels betrayed by little Snow about Daniel's death.
๑ Snow- "Nobody would have believed Henry's stories." Snow is the one who gave him the fairy tale book
๑ Emma feels Henry was lost in the dark (because of her)
๑ Why couldn't Mulan have patience to see if Snow's sleeping visit gave them any info on how to keep the compass and save Aurora, along with stopping Cora?
๑ Levels:  Sleep- room of mirrors- room of flames.
๑ When Henry puts the talisman over David's head it looks more like Henry is the Royalty and he's sending a knight out on a task or even rewarding him for his bravery with a medal.
๑ The talisman Henry gave David starts to glow. Much like the ring glowed the closer he got to Snow when looking for her. Both of these items are from Mr. Gold/Rumple


Vocabulary and Research...

๑ Into the Deep by Ken Grimwood
 - Into the Deep by Robert T Rogers: One Man's Story of How Tragedy Took His Family but Could Not Take His Faith
๑ "Rooms on Fire" is a song by Stevie Nicks. Released in May 1989, it was the first single to be taken from Nicks' fourth solo album, The Other Side of the Mirror.
-  Rockin' the Rhein with the Grateful Dead is a Grateful Dead triple live album released in 2004
-  Electric Ladyland is the third and final album of new material by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, released in October 1968 on Reprise Records.
๑ A quill pen is a writing implement made from a molted flight feather (preferably a primary wing-feather) of a large bird
- Quill- The spiny barbs of a porcupine
- Quill (satellite), a reconnaissance satellite program
- Quill drive, a mechanism to connect drive shafts together so they need not be oriented in the same direction;
- Quill stem- a bicycle part
- Quill: was a popular Northeast USA band that played extensively throughout New England and New York in the late 1960s and that gained national attention by performing at the original Woodstock Festival in 1969.  Genre- Psychedelic rock, progressive rock, jazz.

๑ In Barrie's Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, birds have a far more prominent role on a proto-Neverland called the "Bird's Island". On the island, the various birds speak bird-language, described as being related to fairy language which can be understood by young humans, who used to be birds. The birds are responsible for bringing human babies into the Mainland, whose human parents send folded paper boats along the serpentine "with 'boy' or 'girl' and 'thin' or 'fat' (and so on) written", indicating to the official birds which species to send back to transform into human children, who are described as having an "itch on their backs where their wings used to be" and that their warbles are fairy/bird talk. A half-magical bird called the Neverbird, is also very prominently featured in the novel and play.

 ✔ Golden LOST Thread Woven into the Tapestry of this Tale

✈   "Say hello to my son."  Christian says this to Locke when moving the wheel/island in the episode The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham and This Place is Death
✈   Christian asks Jack "How are you here?" in The End
✈   Bore - boar (bear)
✈   Communication
✈   Time
✈   Life, death- rebirth
✈   Guiding. Guarding
✈   Locke and Kate know how to track
✈   He's our You shows us Sayid on a drug trip- freeing his mind.
✈   He's our You  "I don't want any part of this. If I see you (Ben) again, it will be extremely unpleasant for us both."
-    This Place is Death  Sayid says "I don't want any part of this. And if I see you (Jack) or him (Ben) again, it will be extremely unpleasant for all of us.
   - Click over to Karen's LOST Notebook- Data and Evidence to see the video footage of that dialogue:
✈  Namaste: Christian tells Sun I'm sorry but you have a bit of a journey ahead of you."
✈  Sundown 
✈  Whatever Happened Happened
✈  "Nothing's impossible."
✈ Locke learns via an alter state of consciousness that he has to bring the family back together in Further Instructions
✈  Arrow


Enough of my rambling... Here's your episode recap! Enjoy!

At the bottom of the bean stalk Cora waits for her dear Captain Hook to return from his adventure.  {Umbrella/parasol} She kindly asks him for the compass.  Hook explains mater grew complicated and the compass has eluded him for the moment.  Hook stole Cora's protection spell and climbed the bean stalk without her; she feels betrayed.  Hook insists he was going to bring it to her and that their agreement remains- they will go to Storybrooke together; and he'll get it/compass back.
Cora doesn't have time for his games.  "I've crossed through too many worlds to be brought short at the brink of success." He reveals Emma Swan is the one who bested him and assures it won't happen again. This amuses Cora. "You chose her... and the consequences of that decision."  Intrigued, Hook asks if she's going to kill him now.  "Go ahead. Try."   Smug Cora feels he's so brave.  She's not going to kill him, as she has something far more satisfying in mind. "I'm going to leave you here with your thirst for revenge unquenched- while I complete our journey without you."  Hook turns on the flirty charm, wanting to discuss this.
Cora- "You're pretty face buys you a lot... but not my time. It's too valuable."
Hook insists Cora needs him, but she laughs at such a notion.  She gave him a chance and now it's her turn to do this the right way. Hook lunges at her and Cora disappears into dark purple smoke.

Cora appears out of her dark purple smoke. She retrieves a heart from a vault-like stack of boxes/cases. She gently blows on one of the (Clear encased) hearts and it activates it and 7 of the other boxes; setting them aglow.  Cora steps outside with the heart and commands "RISE."  Her command raises, awakens the men who were lying (sleeping or dead) on the ground. These reanimated/resurrected men walk...

Emma just happens to have a photo of Henry which she shows to Aurora.  Aurora confirms Henry is the boy she saw in her dreams.  Emma feels that's impossible; as it was a dream. "How could you dream of my son?"  Snow suggests "Maybe it wasn't a dream.  That room... I've been there." She didn't say anything about it being "real" to terrified Aurora before and makes things worse.
Mulan- "A room in a dream is real?"
Snow- "The sleeping curse."  She feels it has to be because she and Aurora went through it.
Emma jumps in with "Henry's been through it because I wouldn't believe him." {WTF is she thinking?!}
Aurora wonders what else Snow lied about. But Snow wasn't lying; she was protecting her. Aurora shares with Emma that in the dream only said his name and then she woke up- it was over.  Snow assures scared Emma it's going to be okay; they have a way to get home.  Snow feels they don't have to attempt stealing the wardrobe ashes from Cora and committing suicide isn't necessary.  They can stop Cora with help from Rumpelstiltskin.
Emma- "Henry. We can talk to him. Now we can communicate."  She tells Princess Aurora "You're going back to sleep."

All of a sudden we see Aurora in the inferno room calling out for Henry.  She comes face to face with the boy. Henry asks "Who are you?"  Aurora lets him know she's with his mom and grandmother; they just want to come home and they need his help.

Henry bolts awake {also awaking Charming and Regina slowly wakes up} claiming they're alive!
Charming asks "Who? Who's alive?"
Henry is excited. "My mom and Snow!" Now Charming is excited too!  Henry shares that Aurora told him they have a way home but there's someone in their way- someone they need them to help them stop- Someone only Mr. Gold knows how to defeat.
Regina is curious. "Who?"  Henry replies "Your mother."

At the dinner Granny serves Belle and Rumple/Mr. Gold delicious hamburger platters. Granny claims they are indeed delicious and they didn't take any dark magic either (as she looks at Rumple). She also lets him know she charges extra for the pickles. Rumple tells Belle he has a complicated relationship with Granny; as he does with most people.  Belle admits it took her a little time to get to know him;and they will. Rumple tells Belle to try it with ketchup, "Condiments are this world's most powerful magic."
Regina enters needing to talk to Gold. This puts Granny in protection mode; needing everyone to get out as she'll need to close early. Regina assures Granny it's okay. "We're civil."
Gold- "For now. Belle, you remember the woman who locked you up for 28 years."
Nervous Belle wants to excuse herself, but Gold wants her to stay; Whatever Regina has to say won't be a secret to her. "Whatever she wants, she won't get." Regina is there about the one thing that might unite them... Cora. "She's coming from our land- I need your help to stop her."
Gold- "But she was dead. You told me you saw the body."
Regina- "Apparently you taught her well. She's not. And she's on her way and I don't think I need to remind you how most unpleasant that would be for both of us."
Gold- "For you. I can handle Cora."
But that's not how Cora tells the story. Gold knows he won in the end. Regina feels there's a big difference this time... this time there's someone Gold cares about; Belle. "This time you have a weakness."  Concerned Belle asks "Who is this woman?" Gold tells her it's someone she'll never meet. He asks Regina where she is now.
Regina- "With Them."

In the Forest anxious Emma asks how close they are. "Henry could already be waiting in that netherworld." Aurora clarifies she and Henry had a plan to meet back there in two hours.
Snow- "There. That looks like relatively safe high ground. We'll set up camp there. Aurora, you'll settle in and find Henry, get the information we need from Rumpelstiltskin. We do this fast- in and out, it's still dangerous out here."
Aurora's cloak gets caught on something, and while stuck Mulan notices the burns Aurora's hiding; they're not from the sun.  Aurora claims to have brushed against some poison leafs.
Mulan- "You said this netherworld is full of smoke and flames. Aurora, if that's where you were burned you should not return."
But Aurora feels she doesn't have much of a choice. Mulan knows Aurora's choosing to go in deeper and stay under longer to find this boy, but Mulan vowed to Prince Phillip to protect Aurora and not to help some strangers find a portal to another land. Aurora reminds Mulan that she was cursed to spend eternity in that horrible sleep. "The only reason I am here is because you and Phillip risked your lives to save me. Every day since my waking has been a gift- so let me do something with it. It's my turn to help someone else. I'm going to go back in and find that boy."

Henry lays on the bed in the back of Mr. Gold's shop tightly holding the talisman he got from Rumple/Gold for dream journey. Regina brought him his blanket from his bedroom back home.  Henry confirms that Cora is pretty powerful. But Rumple/Gold knows she's not as powerful as he is; which Regina feels is debatable. Actually, that's not what Rumple knows.  

Charming asks the kid if he's sure he's okay to do this. {Note wheel}
Henry- "I was born to do this. I'm done reading about heroes- I wanna be one."
Charming- "Well, sometimes being one is knowing when not to run into the fire."
Henry feels he'll be okay. Rumple feels whatever Henry faces in there will be far less dangerous than what he'll face if we fail." Henry again assures them he can do this.  Charming tells Rumple to get on with it and fast.

Rumple is very caring and gentle. He tells the boy to relax and soon he'll drift off. Henry asks "What do I tell them?"
Rumple- "Just listen to my bedtime story and all will be clear... {He puts his left hand on Henry's head} Once upon a time, Snow White and Prince Charming needed to stun a very powerful magician long enough to lock him up- in a dark dungeon."
Henry- "That was you. They used Cinderella to trap you with the magic quill." {Rumple slowly waves his hand down Henry's face all the way down to his heart/chest, causing the boy to drift off. And note the looks that Regina and Charming give each other.}
Rumple- "Yes, indeed. The quill. And yet... it wasn't the quill itself. But the ink that captured the Dark One. Harvested from the rarest species of squid- from the bottom of the bottomless ocean. Impossible to find- unless you're a mermaid... or me. I happen to have a private supply. "{He waves his hand slowly in the opposite direction over Henry; from his heart up to his head} In my jail cell- that is where they will find it."

Mulan touches Aurora's sleeping head and gives Emma and Snow the nod that she's indeed asleep. Snow grabs Emma's hand, assuring her it will be okay and she'll see Henry again. "This will work."  They hear the sound of twigs snap in the forest, while Aurora battles the inferno raging in the netherworld room.  Henry can help them, but the intensity of the flames is much greater than it was before causing them to not be able to hear each other clearly.  Henry knows what they have to do to stop Cora. He yells the instructions to Aurora "You have to go to Rumpelstiltskin's cell..."  But Aurora only hears bits and pieces of the instructions due to the loud fire. As they continue to try and communicate through all of this chaos, it seems that  a distorted voice says something {"Aurora"}.  Aurora turns "Who is that?!"  Henry yells "Did you hear me?!"  Aurora didn't hear him and asks him to say it again. Again Aurora hears that muffled distorted voice and she asks Henry "Did you hear that?!"
Henry- "No! Aurora, what's going on?!"
Again the distorted voice says "Aurora!" And she is pulled upward in a spiral motion into cyclone-like dark smoke... Gone.

Mulan is shaking Aurora to wake up!  Aurora wakes up "No. Henry wasn't finished."
Mulan- "Time for that is finished."  Out of nowhere the ladies are attacked by Cora's walkers. The ladies put up a hell of a fight. {Except for Aurora who isn't a fighter.} During the fight Emma drops the compass but gets it back due to Snow's bad-assery with a bow and arrow. They don't know how to kill these things. Emma notices Mulan (and Aurora) isn't there and they decide to run from the unstoppable zombies.
In the forest Mulan tells Aurora to go while Mulan gets attacked. Mulan defeats her zombie attacker {decapitation} but sees that Aurora is not there.

As they're running Emma asks Snow if she's still in one piece. Snow says "Yeah. Pretty much."
Upset Mulan informs the two that "They took her. Aurora's gone."

Henry bolts awake; still tightly holding the talisman. He informs the anxious trio that he didn't get the chance to tell Aurora the instructions because something happened. "She got sucked outta there."  Something is wrong- Henry's hurt, his left arm is burned from the flames in the inferno room.

Aurora is cuffed, being held prisoner by Cora in a pit. {It looks like the Dwarf mine}  Friendly Cora thought Aurora might be hungry and brings her some stew to enjoy.
Aurora- "I enjoy anything that masks the bitter aftertaste of poison."  Amused Cora calls her Plucky.
Cora already knows Aurora isn't going to tell her anything and that's okay because she wasn't her target. Now she has something to trade for the compass.  "You might be more valuable than you know."
Aurora wonders "To who? They just met me and they're trying to get back to their families. Do you really think they'll sacrifice that for a stranger?"  Cora divulges that she knows Aurora's new found companions. "Snow and her daughter just can't help themselves. No matter the personal stakes, they won't let an innocent die."
Nonchalant Aurora states "We shall see."  Cora asks what stakes she has in their cause. "It's not as though you'd travel back with them. (She sees Aurora's body language) Oh, what a sweet misguided notion. Did you really think you could have a life there, find another Prince? You've forgotten Philip already?"
Aurora- "Philip is in my heart every moment of every day. If there was anything I could do to bring him back I would!"
Cora- "Is that so? What if I told you that when a Wraith consumes a soul it merely travels to another realm. But that soul could be brought back to this world. Show me a little courtesy... and I may explain how."
Aurora kicks the food tray away and this pisses off Cora. Aurora isn't as stupid as Cora thinks nor her loyalties easily bought. "You could bring me a 100 meals and make me a 100 promises but I will never help you!"  Angry Cora magically tosses Plucky against the wall rendering her unconscious.
Cora instructs the black crow that is perched atop of a (gold) cage (with a hook) to "Tell them."

The crow lands on Snow White's right shoulder and delivers the message from Cora. {In crow caws} Snow understands and tells the ladies they have until sundown to bring her the compass and if they don't Cora will kill Aurora.

Mulan demands the compass from Emma. A compass isn't worth Aurora's life.  Snow feels they need a plan to get Aurora back and keep the compass.  Mulan vowed to protect Aurora and that promise is all that is left of him, so it shall be done.  Mulan literally has a tug of war over the compass with Emma. They're like children!
Emma- "Hey! I climbed a beanstalk for that- you go get your own!"
Snow breaks it up and wants Mulan to give them a few hours to defeat Cora, if not then she can have the compass.  Mulan feels Snow can't hope to defeat her, "We no longer have access to the Dark One's assistance."  Snow tells her they do; as she's been under a sleeping curse and can go back to that netherworld.
Mulan- "The door to that place is closed, you said it yourself."
Snow feels there may be a way for her to go back into a deep slumber; one that can let her access it again. It's not another sleeping curse, she doesn't need one, "I've been under already. I need to go into a sleep where my natural defenses slip away. Where my mind stops protecting me."  She'll use Mulan's Sleeping Powder. "If I inhale it I will fall into a deep enough sleep that I should be able to do this."  Since the last of the powder was used on the Giant Snow wants her to make some more.
Mulan- "The poppy plant is extremely rare in this Kingdom, but I  know of a place that may grow some more. It's a bit of a journey from here."
Snow- "Can we make it by sundown?"  They'd have to hurry.

Mr. Gold/Rumple magically heals Henry's burned arm and explains this happens when you venture deeper into the netherworld instead of away there are risks- Someone {Mulan} woke Aurora before her soul was ready to return. The violence of that act tore her away and injured Henry. "We're lucky it wasn't worse. He's gonna need some time to recover before he can be sent back."  Charming and Regina are against sending Henry back.
Charming- "We'd be monsters to even consider risking his life again."
Gold/Rumple warns Charming to be careful with his tone. He understands Charming's concerned for the boy but he knows Cora. "Without our help Snow and Emma will soon be dead. And then... a true monster will be on her way to Storybrooke." {He looks right at Regina}  Regina wonders why they need to send Henry back to the fiery inferno- Aurora is gone and no one is there to receive their message. All of a sudden Charming has a revelation!  He feels Snow will be there, he knows she was there once before and she can go back. He's so sure of it that he'll be there waiting for her. He feels he faced Regina, so how bad could this netherworld be.
Gold/Rumple tells him it's not as simple as that. "You can't get there. You haven't been under a sleeping curse."  So Charming wants him to put him under one.  Gold feels if they do that there's a chance he might never waken up.
With stars in his eyes Charming knows he will. "When I see her, she'll kiss me and I'll be fine. Now put me under I've spent far too much time looking for my wife, it is time to bring her home!"

{Whispering} "Wake up. Wake up. Come on Sweetheart. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up!"  Hook hurries sleepy Aurora to her feet.  He claims Cora has no idea he's there. "I know you're sleepy, isn't it obvious? I'm setting you free."  Aurora wonders if this is some sort of pirate ruse. Hook reveals that Cora's denying him passage to Storybrooke and his vengeance, and now he's going to deny her her wishes. "Starting with the compass. In pirate terms you might say I'm firing a shot across my enemies bow." Aurora is still suspicious, but Hook reveals he doesn't like being double-crossed; he tells her to go. Aurora thanks him. Hook does want one favor, "Give Em a message. Tell her the deal stands. If she provides me passage back to her realm I swear, I will help her find that dust that opens the portal."
Aurora- "Do you really want to assist us?"
Hook- "It hurts Cora and helps me, of course I do. Now go."  She leaves. But he seems up to something.

Mulan chops a path for her, Snow and Emma, through the moss covered trees. She tells the ladies "Once we crest this ridge we'll be near the woods of the dead. The last poppies in this realm have taken seed there."   Emma asks nervous Snow how bad this netherworld is "What's it like?"  Snow thinks before answering. "It's like you're um... lost, drifting in the dark... no one to talk to, nothing to do except think of all the people that you love and how you'll never see them again."
Emma is troubled. "Henry was lost in that dark too because of me." Snow wonders what she's talking about.
Emma- "He  tried so hard to convince me I was the savior."
Snow tells her to stop it. "Nobody would have believed Henry's stories."  But Emma feels "His mother should have."
Snow- "Okay. You wanna play the blame game? If I hadn't told Cora about Regina's true love, Cora never would have killed him, Regina wouldn't want revenge, the curse would never have happened. We could spend all day trying to figure out why each of us should feel guilty but it will not help us get home."   Emma asks if she thinks they're really going to make it back.
Snow- "If there's one thing your father taught me it's not to give up. Now... it's time for me to go back to sleep."
Emma feels it's Regina they should blame.

Regina is in Gold's back room of this shop concocting a funny smelling curse. She tells Henry it's not meant to be pleasant.
Henry- "So the potion's finished. Mr. Gold had everything you needed in his shop."
Regina is focused on her craft, "Yes. We're almost ready."  Henry gets a closer look at the stuff and guesses "This is how you do it- magic."  But Regina mentions there are many ways, "It's never easy."  She tells concerned Henry that she hasn't used magic except with Daniel and now; she's really been trying.  Henry feels it's okay. "At least you're using it to help people now."   After this curse, Regina won't use it again.
Henry, "I know."  He then asks "Will David be okay?"
Regina- "He'll be... asleep. And in there... he won't die. Gold's explaining everything to him right now."
Henry feels it should be him; still wanting to go in there {Without a curse} and still come back.  Regina assure him that although she and David have many differences, this they agree upon. They won't let Henry risk his safety- it's not worth it.
Henry- "It is to me. He won't wake up."
Regina- "Unless he succeeds. And if there's one thing I know about your grandparents... they always find each other."

The ladies come upon a beautiful poppy flower. Mulan will use her dagger to crush the seeds. "We're doing this the old fashioned way."

"What do you mean the old fashioned way?" David asks Gold/Rumple.  Gold explains to Mr. Nolan, that he's about to join a quite distinguished club. "Before such innovations as the apple, back when the sleeping curse first came to be, a more direct method was required- through blood. By pricking one's finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel one falls under the spell. You're majesty, you did his wife, I'm sure you'd like the honors." Regina preps the spinning wheel needle with her pretty blue potion.  Henry wishes David good luck and hugs him. David assures Henry that it's gonna be alright. Henry asks "How do you know?"
David, "Well, how did you know Emma would save you after you ate the turnover?"
Henry- "I believed in her."
David- "The way Snow and I believed she'd come back to break the curse. That's the kind of faith that runs in our family."
Henry puts the talisman he's been wearing (from Gold/Rumple) over kneeling David's head to wear "This helps control the flames in the room. It'll keep you safe."  David will guard it with his life.

Mulan has the powder just about at the ready. Emma is building a relationship with the compass. Mulan feels it's difficult to say how long the effects will last; maybe an hour, maybe much less. Snow shouldn't need much time, as long as Henry is there when she is. Emma holds Snow's hand "I'll be right here. Say hi to my son for me."  Snow rests against a tree while Mulan blows the poppy powder at her so she can inhale it and drift off to sleep.

David {with a torch} is in a dark room that looks more like a hall of mirrors, calling out for Snow.

WHOOSH {Large Flames}

Snow is in the flaming room calling out for Henry. "Henry! Where are you?!" 

David, still it the dark room of mirrors is trying to find a way in. The talisman Henry gave him starts to glow. {Much like the ring glowed the closer he got to Snow when looking for her}  He removes it and uses it as a detection tool to find the way, and as he nears the source the talisman glows brighter and burns his hand. He drops it and realizes the floor is very hot. "The room." He uses the bottom of the torch to break through the reflective floor and he falls down into the room of flames.

David seems alone in the burning room. He picks up the necklace that is on the floor.

From across the board Snow sees Charming is across it.  They run to each other but are kept apart by flames. Snow doesn't understand "I ha...Henry should be here."  Charming explains he wouldn't let him go back "This is too dangerous."  Snow is happy Charming found her.
Charming claims "You found me. I knew you'd be here."  He shares that Gold has a way to stop Cora. "We have to stun her like we did with him." Snow recalls the Quill. Charming tells her it wasn't the quill, it was the ink; there's a jar of it in his cell, where they kept him. "Get it, stop her and come home."
Snow asks Charming {almost as if suspicious} "How are you here? There's no way for you to be here unless..."  Yep, he's in a sleeping curse.  Charming had to see her and it was worth it. He feels although he's now cursed, Snow will break the curse with true loves kiss.
He jumps forward to get to her and reach out to touch each other, but because they are in a netherworld they aren't really physically there- only their consciousnesses are present. {Note the flames have stopped}

Snow realizes "I'm waking up!"
Charming- "It's okay. You'll get back... and then you'll wake me as I woke you. You will always find me and I will always find you."
Snow- "Yes. Will we always lose each other too, is that our fate?"
Charming- "No. I refuse to believe that. You need to have faith... in us."
Snow is crying "I'm waking up."
Confident Charming knows she can do this. "I love you."

Snow- "I love you."
WHOOSH   {Snow disappears}
Charming is left alone in the room that is once again aflame.

Henry is trying to get sleeping David to come back, but to no avail.  He's concerned and wonders if he should be in there that long.  Regina's sure it's fine "I imagine they're just catching up."  Regina and Gold share a look; they know David isn't waking up yet.

Snow wakes up under the tree. {Emma still holds her hand and she even looks like she may have napped.} Snow freaks and starts to look for more powder while telling Emma David is trapped in there.  "I have to get back!"  They realize true love's kiss is the only thing to wake him, but it won't work in there. Emma assures panicked Snow that they will get back. Emma now tells Snow to have faith.  Snow shares the information about the key to stopping Cora is in Rumple's jail cell. They shall go and get it. But Emma realizes the compass is now gone- and so is Mulan!

Mulan runs through the forest with the compass in hand.

Cora enters Aurora's cave-like cell {with the large bird cage} to find Aurora gone.
"Looking for someone?" Hook asks Cora.  Hook freed Aurora. Cora assumes he stuck around for the petty satisfaction of seeing her suffer. Although Hook thinks that a tempting motivation, it wasn't that.
Cora- "Well then, you must have a death wish." She magically tosses him up against the wall and removes his hook. "You know I have to kill you."  Hook feels she should try thanking him because he brought her a gift and wants her to open the surprise that's in his satchel. With that gift she will get everything she wants.

Snow fires a warning shot {Arrow} to stop Mulan. She found Mulan because Snow knows a thing or two about tracking. All they want is the compass.  Mulan makes like she's going to oblige but fights Snow instead- to which Snow tackles her and demands the compass and shares they learned how to overpower Cora.  Mulan is pissed this would involve another journey; just as she predicted there would be. She feels their best chance to save Aurora is to make that trade.  That's not going to happen! Snow reminds her that without that compass they can't get home.
Mulan- "Then I hope you're prepared to use that arrow."
As Snow's about to make her move Aurora yells "Stop!"  She demands Snow let Mulan go.  Concerned if she'd been followed, Aurora thinks Cora may know she's gone but she didn't see her escape.  Aurora shares that she didn't escape- He/Hook let her go because of Emma. "He said he wanted to prove to you that you should have trusted him. That if you trusted him you could've defeated Cora together. That the two of you could've gotten the remains of the wardrobe. Without him you'll have to go up against her all by yourself. He only wants to help. I, I think he may care for you."
Snow looks confused and suspicious.

We see that Cora is delivering Aurora's dialogue via her captured heart. Cora tells Hook "You know she won't trust you."
Hook feels she doesn't have to. All he needs is for her to believe that he was genuine in letting the girl go "Which I wager she does now. You're welcome.
Cora- "Impressive. You took a heart."
Hook- "Now you've a Princess."
Cora is pleased. "Indeed I do."
Hook- "Now, can we get on with the business of going to Storybrooke- together?"
Cora- "Why not? I hate to travel alone. All we need is the compass."
Hook- "Which will soon be delivered."

The compass is in Emma's hands. Snow leads the way to Rumple's cell.

We see Cora holding the Princesses heart.

Tallahassee

"Poppies... Poppies. Poppies will put them to sleep. Sleeeeep. Now they'll sleeeeep." - The Wicked Witch; The Wizard of Oz

** All photos posted here are chosen for a reason **

Somehow I must make plans to expand my postcard collection by paying a visit to Storybrooke and bordering Fantasy Land/the Enchanted Forest and all Royal, grand and glorious castles belonging to our beloved characters.


Gonna keep on tryin' til I reach the highest ground

A seed is an encased plant embryo; beans are seeds. The seeds are planted, watered, warmed by the sun and nurtured to grow. Well, there's a lot of that happening in our fairy tale. We're witnessing newly planted seeds being nurtured and grown. During this process Emma has a lot a lot to learn, but they're all learning some very important stuff.  Emotional fear has made Emma and a few other residents put up protective fences to keep out bad things, people and experiences.  But we do see a very brave Emma where Henry, family and home is concerned. She is willing to tackle obstacles for the greater good.

Magic cuffs will aid in the journey upward to the Giant's treasure and the much needed enchanted compass. Emma and her friends not only need the compass to help open the portal and get them back home to their families, but Emma also needs direction and help with her moral compass.  Emma is turning her life around and may be doing a bit of soul cleansing too.  The challenges and testing tasks she's enduring on this adventure are changing her on many levels; heart, mind and her higher consciousness included.

Only fools are enslaved by time and space
Consciousness connecting:

The "dreaming" clue comes up again in this episode. Now, of course we can chalk it up to the metaphor of the story, but we can also apply it to the literal with the sleeping curse. 
We see the characters are trying to use "magic portals" to travel, cross borders and boundaries, but could it be something a little bit deeper?  Last week I touched on the residents sleeping and perhaps dreaming the same dream; or at least reaching some level of dream/altered state together.  I believe we may be seeing some traveling to another world without really going far from home or even leaving home at all, just like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz and Alice in Alice in Wonderland. Those girls' out of this world adventures happened via their consciousness; while asleep/altered state and their minds were free to go anywhere they can imagine.

In "this place", this free state of consciousness, we can create a wondrous world with interesting characters, we can replay real life events and face fears, we can learn and we can rewrite our story- and even become a hero.  So, these portals, rooms, doorways and pathways can be (consciousness) frequencies/vibrations rather than literal locations- nonetheless they are gateways to our higher consciousness, intelligence- self.

Just like LOST the goal is to go home.

Narnia is another world not very far from home.

This week we get some back "story" of Emma from 11 years ago in Portland, Oregon. She looks innocent; wears glasses, skirts and a black leather jacket, but is indeed a car thief and a con. She breaks into the already occupied yellow bug/beetle car we see her drive today.

I'd like to do a little Flash of my own...
Last season in the episode Desperate Souls we see Henry and Emma read an article about herself and her time of her incarceration and birth behind bars. Some of the details of that article are not the information we got in tonight's episode. So, now the question must be asked... which version, if any, is correct? The reason I ask is because in Desperate Souls, Henry asks her if the article is a lie and Emma says "No." But she also bizarrely tells him to throw the paper out and get their news from something more reliable, like the Internet. She also admits the records were supposed to be sealed.

We got another Storybrooke newspaper article where we learned of a version of Emma being found as an infant on the side of the road, but August presents a different version of those events. So, are the Storybrooke articles simply not the complete truth and written by Sydney and Regina just to tell tales of their own and keep control of everyone?  Can we bank on the Flashbacks we see as the truth finally revealed or are we being conned?

Whatever story you think you know is most certainly wrong   
Perspective:

Mentioning storytellers... The always dressed in black, August W. Booth appears out of nowhere claiming to be Emma's guardian angel (of sorts).  But I gotta tell ya, I don't know if we can believe everything we've heard from August since we met him; other than maybe he's Pinocchio and the puppet son of Geppetto.  August may have meant to be a good boy, brave, truthful and unselfish, but is he? He talks a hypnotically convincing game and really wants Emma, Neal and the people of Storybrooke to "believe."   Since we've met him we've seen him try to con Mr. Gold so he can gain access to the Dark One's dagger and we saw him fiddle with Henry's storybook.  August may be trying to be a good boy but something still feels like he may be using people for his own motives and gain. Remember, he even admits that he's weak to temptation.  August said to Neal that money's not what she needs, not for what's ahead. So, did he put the cash away for her or take the cash for himself?  No cash ended up in the envelope for Emma, plus, if August is the one who mailed her the car key why mail it all the way from fuckin' Phuket? Did he get that distracted that he got all the way there and remembered "Oh, yeah, I gotta mail this car key to little destiny bound Emma back in Phoenix."  Who knows, maybe he's working for someone.
Who is using and/or conning who?

Note that August, Neal and Emma go to great lengths to convince people of their grift- their story.

Snow tells Aurora that Charming would light a candle to capture the nightmares, while when Charming lights the candle for Henry and his nightmare he tells him it's to keep the nightmares away. 


Whatever you think I am, I'm not

Hook tells Emma a tale of how evil Giants grew the beans, but rather than using them for good they used them to plunder all the lands, and that Jack was a man who fought a terrible war, defeating all but one of the evil Giants. The beans were destroyed by the Giants as they died; if they couldn't have their magic then nobody could.  Sadly the caged in Giant has a different version of the events of how they/the humans massacred them and destroyed their beans. These events left him angry and all alone- without family.  This is what Emma has been dealing with in her own existence.


The bottom line is although we may spend our whole lives trying to outwardly find the treasure, who we really are and what our purpose is- but that treasure and the power we seek is already right inside of us.


Here's a little song I want to share.  It's the Swans performing "Can't Find My Way Home" written by Steve Winwood. Enjoy this little musical interlude.

Things to Note...Questions to Ask...

๑ Eye. Eyes
๑ 8, 23
๑ Life. Death. Birth/Rebirth
๑ August, Neal and Hook flirt with Emma
๑ Victor. Victors. Victory.
๑ TIME
๑ The Giant wears red slippers
๑ Magic cuffs. Magic compass. Magic portal beans. Magic portal.
๑ Sleep. Drugs. Side effects
๑ TRAIN Station
๑ Caged. Cuffed. Imprisoned. Jail
๑ Compass
๑ Map
๑ Alice
๑ Neverland
๑ August and Neal have offered to take Emma for a "drink"
๑ Neal doesn't outright admit he stole the yellow beetle; he has keys for it.
๑ Dreamcatcher
๑ Watch. Guard
๑ Drunk. Rum/liquor
๑ Time. Sundial. Sundown
๑ Watch
๑ Tattoo. Marked 
๑ Pregnancy- birth
๑ The Stranger
๑ Neal was born March 23 1977
๑ Aurora and Henry's recount of their shared dream states mostly the same details, except Aurora says she is trapped, Henry doesn't say that
๑ Mulan owns the most powerful blade in all the realms
๑ Neal was a janitor at a high-end jewelry place in Phoenix and Emma's in a minimum security place in Phoenix
๑ August said he'd send Neal a postcard when Emma was free- Neal gets a postcard from Storybrooke stating "Broken"

Vocabulary and Research...

๑ Rumor has it actor Michael Raymond-James Has the word 'Ohana' (which is Hawaiian for family) tattooed over his heart.   
๑ Neal Leon Cassady (February 8, 1926 – February 4, 1968) was a major figure of the Beat Generation of the 1950s and the psychedelic movement of the 1960s. He served as the model for the character Dean Moriarty in Jack Kerouac's novel On the Road. Cassady lived briefly with The Grateful Dead and is immortalized in "The Other One" section of their song "That's it for the Other One" as the bus driver "Cowboy Neal."
  - A second Grateful Dead song, "Cassidy," by John Perry Barlow, might seem to be a misspelling of Cassady's name; in fact the song primarily celebrates the 1970 birth of baby girl Cassidy Law into the Grateful Dead family, though the lyrics also include references to Neal Cassady himself. A N.Y. City-based folk duo, Aztec Two Step, in their 1972 debut album memorialized Cassady in the song "The Persecution & Restoration of Dean Moriarty (On the Road)."
๑ Eugene: A Greek name meaning Noble, well born.
๑ Fence: a dealer in the purchase and sale of stolen property; a middleman between thief and buyer
- Slitherlink (also known as Fences, Takegaki, Loop the Loop, Loopy, Ouroboros, Suriza and Dotty Dilemma) is a logic puzzle
 - Fences:  a 1983 play by American playwright August Wilson. Set in the 1950s, it is the sixth in Wilson's ten-part Pittsburgh Cycle.
๑ Poppies: in The Wizard of Oz the wicked witch puts a sleep spell on the poppy field so Dorothy and friends can fall asleep.
- Poppies have long been used as a symbol of sleep, peace, and death: sleep because of the opium extracted from them, and death because of the common blood-red color of the red poppy in particular. In Greek and Roman myths, poppies were used as offerings to the dead. Poppies used as emblems on tombstones symbolize eternal sleep. A second interpretation of poppies in Classical mythology is that the bright scarlet color signifies a promise of resurrection after death - Ancient Egyptian doctors would have their patients eat seeds from a poppy to relieve pain. Poppy seeds contain both morphine and codeine.
๑ Jack and the Beanstalk is an English folktale. The tale is closely associated with the tale of Jack the Giant-Killer, and is known under a number of versions. Benjamin Tabart's moralized version of 1807 is the first appearance in print, but "Felix Summerly" (Henry Cole) popularized it in The Home Treasury (1842), and Joseph Jacobs rewrote it in English Fairy Tales (1890) In the classic version of the tale, the giant is unnamed, but many plays based on the story name him as Blunderbore; a giant of that name also appears in Jack the Giant Killer.
๑ "Sundial" a song Cosmic Egg is the second studio album by Australian rock band Wolfmother
๑ The Terracotta Army or the "Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses" is a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China. It is a form of funerary art buried with the emperor in 210–209 BC and whose purpose was to protect the emperor in his afterlife. The three pits containing the Terracotta Army there were over 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses, the majority of which are still buried in the pits nearby Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum.
๑ Neverland- Never Never Land: A place where its residents refuse to grow up. The novel explains that the Neverlands are found in the minds of children, and that although each is "always more or less an island" and they have a family resemblance, they are not the same from one child to the next. It also says that a map of a child's mind would resemble a map of Neverland, with no boundaries at all. In J.M. Barrie's play and novel, most of the adventures in the stories take place in the Neverwood, where the Lost Boys hunt and fight the pirates and redskins, and build the Wendy house. It is also the location of the Home Underground, where Peter and the Boys reside.
๑ Salem:
 - Tamil Nadu, a city in India
- A real algebraic integer
 - An indie Florida emo-punk rock band formed in Gainsville
Love it or Leave Me- EP 2003

• "Smoke and Mirrors" 
•  "Cancel the Sun"
•  "Confession"
•  "Aphrodite's Tears" 
•  "Brighton by the Sea"
•  "Amphetamine Crush"

 ✔ Golden LOST Thread Woven into the Tapestry of this Tale

✈  Tallahassee. Criminal/con Kate and Sawyer have been there. Locke's dad is the man from Tallahassee.
✈  Portland Oregon- Headquarters for Mittleos Bioscience Mittelos Laboratories: Science camp. Uses Herarat Aviation
✈  Phuket
✈ Canada: Ethan Rom and Nathan claim to be from there. In Tabula Rasa Kate tells Ray Mullen she's from there; we also get Kate's mug shot
✈  Eye
✈  4
✈ Jack
    - Jack always felt like he was going to fail
✈  Janitor
✈ Drunk
✈ Tattoo. Marked 
✈ Enter 7 7
✈ Case
✈ Cassidy
✈ Apollo Bars
✈ STATIONS: Swan. Lamp post- Train
✈ Time
✈ Jin has to deliver a watch for Mr. Paik.
✈ Sleep. Unconscious. Dreams.
✈ Side effects
✈ Cave
✈ Security system
✈ Camaro
✈ Game
✈ Candle
✈ Mobisode number 1 is titled  The Watch
✈ Not in Portland  
   - Juliet cares for sick sister Rachel in "Miami, Florida" where  "Everything's on the beach."
✈ Further Instructions   Hitchhiker Eddy lies to the cop about Locke (the driver) being his uncle, as to avoid a ticket.  Locke has Charlie stand guard while he visits the sweat lodge. Eddy mentions granola.
-The DHARMA Initiative packages granola bars
- Walkabout Randy eats a granola bar.
✈ Abandoned
✈ Pregnancy test
- I Do- pregnancy test
- The Whole Truth
✈ Born to Run  -Kate commandeers a just vacated motel room
✈ In Greatest Hits Charlie says to Claire "So, first plane crash?" He can always spot the newbies.

Enough of my rambling... Here's your episode recap! Enjoy!

Hook leads the ladies to the stalk they must climb and get past the Giant before they can retrieve the enchanted compass they need for their trip back to Storybrooke.  The stalk is a little freakier than Emma remembers from the story.  It reminds Mulan of death.
The student Emma asks "If these beans create... portals... why not just pick one and go home? Why the compass?"  Hook explains "Because there aren't any more beans. Whatever story you think you know, my dear, is most certainly wrong."   Emma recalls "There was a guy named Jack and a cow and something about evil Giants with a treasure and a golden goose- or harp."
Hook- "Sounds like a lovely tale. But the truth's a little more gruesome. The Giant's
grew the beans, but rather than using them for good they used them to plunder all the lands. Jack was a man who fought a terrible war, defeating all but one of the evil Giants. The beans were destroyed by the Giants as they died; if they couldn't have their magic then nobody could. It's really very bad form."
Emma wonders "Evil Giants, who made magic portal beans. Why someone just doesn't go up grow some more?"  Hook tells of one Giant that survived; the strongest and most terrible of them all, and that's who they have to get past to retrieve the magic compass from the rest of the treasure. The compass will guide them to their land. "Cora has the means to open the portal with the wardrobe ashes, but she can't find your land without the compass. Once we get it- steal the ashes from her and we're on our way."
Of course the ladies wonder if he's using them to get the compass for Cora. Hook assures the four that they're far safer company.  All he needs is a ride back and he'll swear allegiance to whomever gets him there first. He did fail to mention that the Giant enchanted the beanstalk to repel intruders. But conveniently he's come prepared with a counter-spell from Cora; a pair of magic cuffs. Cora was to accompany him. He playfully encourages the ladies to fight out who will take her place and wear the other cuff for the journey upward. 

PORTLAND, OREGON 11 YEARS AGO
In an alley:
Eyeglass, skirt and black leather jacket wearing Emma breaks into a yellow VW Beetle; using a screwdriver and (looks like) a rock to pop the ignition.

A green hooded passenger pops up in the backseat. "Impressive. But really, you could've just asked me for the keys."

The unconcerned passenger tells Emma its fine. "Just drive." He introduces himself as Neal Cassidy. Emma doesn't want to tell him her name.  Neal doesn't need it to have her arrested when the robbery is in progress.  Emma ends up revealing she is Emma Swan. Neal thinks that's a good name.

Emma- "So, do you just live in here or are you just waiting for the car to be stolen?"
Neal smiles "Why don't I tell you over drinks."  Emma takes her eyes of the road to question him, and he tells her "Hey, eyes on the road" as she blows by a STOP sign.  Emma isn't having drinks with him because he might be a pervert.
Neal- "I might be a pervert. But you're definitely a car thief."
Emma- "I said I was sorry."
Neal- "You didn't, actually."
A cop car pulls them over.  Flustered Neal feels "That's why I said eyes on the road."  From the back seat quick thinking Neal tells Emma "Screwdriver" which she promptly removes and he replaces with the key.

The officer asks Emma for the license and registration, but Neal interjects, defusing the situation before it even begins. He tells the officer that this is actually his car and he's teaching his girlfriend how to drive stick. The officer feels she's got a lot to learn.  Neal knows, but you know - women.
Officer- "All right, I hear you. It's a warning... this time." Neal thanks the officer and hops in the front seat. Emma wonders if Neal's a misogynist.
Neal- "You're welcome. Oh, go. We got lucky."
Confused Emma- "We? This isn't your car either, is it?"
Neal- "Hmm?"
Emma- "I stole a stolen car?"  Neal doesn't answer that remark, he only smiles slyly and flirts and says "Now, how 'bout that drink?"  They drive off.

Back at the beanstalk Mulan feels she should go up to retrieve the compass because she's best equipped to go; as she's been in many battles/wars. Each woman has a reason for going up, but it's Emma who is going "And I'm not gonna fail."   After all, this is about Emma and Snow getting back to their loved ones.
Snow- "You're new here."
Emma- "It's about getting back to Henry. I don't care what I have to face. You're not gonna argue with me?"  It wouldn't do any good anyway.  Emma asks Mulan if she's got anything in that bag that will help her with a Giant. Mulan replies "A hook?"
Privately, Mulan gives Emma a small white sack filled with powder made from poppies that he has to inhale. Emma also trusts Mulan with the task of cutting down the beanstalk with her "strongest blade in all the realms" sword if she's not back in 10 hours; and she's to keep going and get Snow  home.
Hook hurries the ladies along. "In this world we're a slave to time and ours is running out. In other words- Tick Tock."   Emma's going. Hook was hoping it would be her. He has her place her right hand on his right shoulder and place the magical cuff on her right wrist. This will enable her to climb, but warns her of other dangers. "Thankfully you've got me to protect you."
Hook is given his hook back because he can't climb one handed. {But he is climbing one handed.} Emma warns him "Don't think I'm taking my eyes off you for a second."
Hook- "I would despair if you did."
The duo begin their ascent.

High up in the atmosphere climbing up the stalk, Hook tries to get Emma to open up about her life. He jokes about never forgetting your first beanstalk. He finds Emma's silence a challenge. Emma says "I'm concentrating."
Hook- "No, you're afraid. Afraid to talk- to reveal yourself. Trust me. Things will run a lot smoother if you do."
Emma-"Used to people not trusting you."
Hook- "Ah, the pirate thing. Well, I don't need you to share. You're something of an open book."
Emma- "Am I?"
Hook- "Quite. Let's see, you volunteered to come up here because you were the most motivated. You need to get back to a child."
Emma- "That's not perception, that's eavesdropping."
Hook- "You don't want to abandon him the way you were abandoned."
Emma- "Was I?"
Hook- "Like I said... open book."
Emma- "How would you know that?"
Hook- "Spent many years in Neverland, home of the Lost Boys. They all share the same look in their eyes... The look you get when you've been left alone."
Emma- "Yeah, well, my land aint Neverland."
Hook- "But an orphan's an orphan. Love has been all too rare in your life, hasn't it? You ever even been in love?"
Emma- "No. I have never been in love."

Neal and "pregnant" Emma enter a convenience store where Neal tells his Sweetie to get whatever she wants while he gets directions.   The clerk asks Neal "How ya been?" Neal says "I've been better."  He opens up a map on the counter to get directions because he and his wife are really lost. "I'm trying to get to Eugene. I think we've been going the wrong way. Could you show me what's going on here? Where are we, first of all?"  The clerk will help after Neal buys the map. Neal puts cash down on the map. Meanwhile Emma checks out the Mexi-wrap and passes by some bottled orange/citrus drinks.

The clerk shows Neal his problem (on the map) is he's "waaay up here", while not paying attention Neal's focus is on stealing gift cards, two Apollo Bars and a key chain. The clerk says he has to take 5 all the way south towards Salem. A patron enters and instantly sees the duo is stealing from the store and tries to get the clerks attention, but to no avail.  Seeing this, on cue, Emma thinks it's time and gets "labor pains", claiming it hurts really bad!
Happy Neal "He's ready!"  Tells her/baby to "Breathe." And the duo hurry out of the store.  The patron tells the clerk they were stealing.

Running outside Neal states "The little guy saved us!" {Who are they talking about here, really?}
Emma- "He sure did! The miracle of birth!"  She removes the fake "pregnancy belly" and tosses the haul to Neal.  He got her a key chain. It a circle with a swan in the center. She likes it and they kiss.

They hang out in the parking lot of the motel waiting a family to vacate a room so that they commandeer it. They'll have 20 minutes until housekeeping.

In the room Neal asks if she wants to shower first.  Emma finds a Native American Dreamcatcher left by the Granola family. She knows it's supposed to keep all the nightmares out and only let the good dreams in to protect your home.
Neal- "It's flypaper for nightmares?"  Neal decides they should keep it, but Emma wonders where they'd be able to hang it- "in the car?"

Neal realizes that's not much of a home and maybe it's time they get a real place. They've been on the road long enough, maybe it's time to retire the Bonnie and Clyde act. He thinks it's time- together.  Silly Emma wonders "Like where, Neverland?"  Neal's serious, they can do this. He presents Emma with a map tray of the United States, tells her to close her eyes and point. Whatever spot she picks is their home.

The winner is Tallahassee. Emma wonders if Tallahassee is near a beach. Neal- "Yeah, it's Florida, everything's near a beach."   Neal makes it clear that he really wants Emma.

Mulan makes a sundial to keep the time and mark watches- take turns sleeping. They should try to rest because they'll most likely have to walk through the night again.  Snow offers to take first shift and Aurora will stay up with her, as she doesn't really sleep. Snow asks her when was the last time she slept.  The sleeping curse has fucked with Aurora. The one time she did sleep she had horrible nightmares.
Snow- "It's a side effect. The same thing happened to me."  She goes on to explain she had them for months. Then Charming (her husband) used to wake her when she cried out and light a candle. He said it would capture the nightmares. He'd watch over her as she fell back asleep.  It sounds like the Dude lives up to his name.  Snow encourages Aurora to sleep and she'll watch over her; she'll be safe. Aurora thanks her. Snow is obviously concerned about Emma and her current task.

Emma and Hook arrive at the Giant's residence high in the night starry sky. There are skeletons all around. This is where the final battle was.  Emma cut her left hand and Hook tenderly tends to it; using Rum to painfully sterilize the wound.  Emma assumes he's being a gentleman, which Hook is, but it's because Giants can smell blood.  Knowing they don't have time to wait for the Giant to fall asleep, they plan to use the poppy powder Mulan gave them.  They have to sneak past the sleeping Giant in his cave to where the treasures are- "Where the compass lies." Oh, and then they run like hell.
Emma notices Hook's "Milah" heart tattoo and surmises Gold/Rumple took her from Hook along with his hand. This is why he wants to kill him.  Hook feels "For someone who's never been in love, you're quite perceptive aren't you?"  Emma admits "Maybe I was... once."

Playfully hiding behind a tree, young Emma presents jelly doughnuts to troubled looking Neal. Neal found a wanted posted hanging on the wall at the Post Office.

He tells the story about when he was a janitor in Phoenix at a high end jewelry place. The manager was a drunk who'd forget to lock the case of expensive watches. Neal resisted twice, but the third time this guy was just asking to get took. So he grabbed a couple of cases of watches and hopped on a train to Portland. The store's got insurance.  He stashed them in a locker in the train station; they're still there. "That's hardly stealing."  He didn't get away clean. The manager may have been drunk but the security cameras are stone sober. The heat hasn't died down, so Tallahassee's out. Neal's gotta go to Canada alone. He doesn't want her to get caught with him. "You think crossing the border is easy?"  Emma suggests fake I.D.'s and Passports. Neal's concerned that costs money and they have a stolen car. Emma suggests they make it legit: take a VIN # off of another car. She also suggests she go get the watches out of the locker, as no one is looking for her. "We can fence them and then we can have the money..." They could do and go where ever they want. "We could change our identities and go to Tallahassee."
Neal- "You wanna steal the watches to help me get away with stealing the watches?"
Yep!
Neal can't let her risk everything. But Emma says "I love you."  Neal replies, "I love you too."
Emma knows she can do it.

Emma is perched atop of one of the stone/terracotta Warriors outside the doorway of the Giant's dwelling.  The Giant comes out and Hook {the worst human around} grabs his attention so Emma can get the Giant to inhale the powder.  The Giant crashes to the ground- out cold- sound asleep.

Hook doesn't mean to upset her, but he feels they make quite the team.
Emma- "Let's go steal a compass."

Mulan looks troubled as she sees how much time has passed. Aurora is having a nightmare. Snow wakes her "It was just a dream."  Upset Aurora tells Snow "It was the same as last time. I was in this room- this, this red room... it was ...bright- blood red curtains, there were no windows and no doors, so it didn't make sense. I couldn't get in or out- I was trapped. The curtains, they were on fire... it was horrible. I was hunched in a corner and I looked over into the other corner... and the shadows, there was someone else there. I just see his eyes- he was looking right at me."
Snow- "It's over now. These nightmares... they will fade away. I promise." Although she didn't really look too sure about that. Snow will sit with her until she falls back asleep. "Who else do I have to take care of?"

Emma and Hook walk through a grand hall that houses countless treasures. Hook is interested in coins.  Emma rushes him along because they have no clue how long magic knockout powder lasts. Hook leads the way. "Come. Everything we need is right in front of us."

Emma is at the TRAIN STATION with the key to retrieve the stolen watches. {Train 643 with stops at Cleveland, D.C. and Seattle now boarding on track...} She notes two officers nearby, takes the bag from the locker and smiles as she walks out.

Emma asks Hook "(They) kill all the Giant housekeepers too? Where are we gonna find a compass in this mess?"
Hook- "By looking. Start searching."  He wonders how much treasure they can carry down the beanstalk; in addition to the compass of course.  They come upon the skeleton of Jack, the Giant killer.
Emma saves Hook from backing up into a trip wire (trap); quite a security system. Hook wants to flirt with her. Emma insists they just find the compass and go home.

Neal is excited when Emma returns to the yellow Beetle with the watches. Emma thought there would be more, but Neal informs her of the prices of $20,000.  Emma's excited for Tallahassee. Neal's gonna go meet the fence and he'll meet her with the money.  The parking structure near the tracks- 9 PM sharp. And just so there are no mix-ups, he gives her one of the watches. He gives her a kiss and says "Tallahassee, baby. We're almost home."
Emma- "Home."

As Neal walks down the dark street he is followed by a man. He runs into an alley being run down- He runs across the hood and top of a light color Camaro and tries to get away over a chain link fence, but is taken down by the man. Neal assumes he's someone else. "You got the wrong guy, officer! I wasn't even J-walking!"
August- "It's not like that. You wanna protect Emma? Come with me."
Neal yells "How do you know Emma?!"
August- "The name's August and it's a long story, but trust me, you wanna hear it."
Neal gives him two minutes to talk. "Who are you?"
August- "Think of me as Emma's guardian angel."
If that's the case then Neal feels August has been doing a pretty crap job.  August claims to have been looking for her for the past two years and has finally found her and she's robbing convenience stores with some deadbeat. "Tell me again who's doing the crap job."  Neal feels he's the best thing that ever happened to Emma. "Two years. Where were you the rest of her life?"
August- "I'm not perfect. This world (?) full of temptations. Turns out I'm not that great at saying no. I'm not built that way. But I'm here now."
Neal- "Who are you?"
August- "We were in the same home as kids, and I thought she'd be safe inside the system, but now that she's out... Back then I promised I would take care of her."
Neal- "Well, we promised to take care of each other."
August sees that Neal loves her, and that's good. "That means you have to do right by her."  That's what Neal is trying to do
August- "Then leave her."
Neal- "Never."
August- "She has a destiny. And you- this life, you're gonna keep her from it. Okay... You believe in magic?"
Neal- "I take it you do."
August- "So will you. Trust me. I'm gonna show you something. Something that's gonna make you look at everything differently. When you see what I have in here you're gonna listen. You're gonna believe every word I say"  They walk over to August's motorcycle where he has a wood case strapped to the back. {Note Tiki torches}
Neal- "Yeah, right."
August opens the lid of the case and lets Neal peek inside.  August has Neal's attention.

August- "There's a curse... and it needs to be broken. Emma... is the key. I was tasked with keeping her on track and you, my friend... just got caught in the crossfire. Now I'm gonna tell you a story and at the end of it you're gonna have to make a decision.  Will you do the right thing... or not. So... Are... You ready?"

Emma smiles as she leans with her back against the wall looking at the watch. She uses her flip phone to make a call. The number is out of service and she feels the message she hears is an error.  Unless he set her up. An officer pulls a gun on her "Possession of stolen goods."  He tells her that her boy left her holding. He's sorry to tell her but "Your boy took off. Probably in Canada by now. He called in a tip- told us to take a look at the surveillance footage at the Train Station. Gimme the watch. Now!"  Emma gives him the watch. He asks "You know your rights?"  Yeah, she does.
The officer- "Good girl. Turn around. Where's the rest of the watches?"
Shocked Emma- "Gone. They're not coming back."

Emma- "So, it's just in here somewhere."
Hook- "Allegedly."
Hook asks her for a boost and Emma assumes he's out to pocket something. He wants her/darling to try something new, "Its called trust."
Emma- "We do it side by side and fast. Who knows how long before the..."  Just then the place shakes and items rattle from the approaching awake Giant.
Hook- "Someone's up."  Hook advises Emma to get under something, but she doesn't.  The ceiling comes crashing down due to the intense anger and heavy footsteps of the Giant. Hook ends up under that debris.  The loud Giant scoops up Emma.

VANCOUVER, CANADA  
2 Months Later

Down by the water August meets up with Neal.

August- "It's been a while. Where'd ya go?"
Neal, still driving the yellow Beetle {Different license plate} tells him "Tried to lose myself... didn't work. I want to talk to you about Emma."
August- "I hope you're not trying to reach out."
Neal- "I just feel like, if I knew she was okay- I could move on. Is she?"
August- "She will be. She got 11 months."
This upsets Neal. "That should be me! I should be doing that time."
August- "No. We went over this. It's good."  It's a minimum security place in Phoenix, and no, he's not going to tell Neal which one. {How fucking many could there be?!} "She'll get out of there and she'll be fine. You keep your promise and steer clear and she can have a good life. She can do what she's supposed to do."
Neal feels if he can't be there for her he wants August to promise that he will be. August promises. Neal needs August to do something for him. He was able to fence the watches which gave him the huge wad of cash he hands over to August. "Don't judge, I'm giving it all to her and the car. I got a clean VIN number for it so it's legit. I just... I feel like I'm there with her, ya know?"
August- "Money's not what she needs- not for what's ahead."
Neal insists- "Can't ya see that she gets it?"
August- "Sure."  He takes the stack and suspiciously looks around.
Neal- "And one more thing... If anything changes and she does her job- this insanity ends... and she's free..."
August- "I'll send you a postcard."  August takes off right away.

The Giant holds Emma tightly in his fist. "You're a thief and you poisoned me. So yeah, I'm pretty sure you're exactly what I think."
Emma struggles. "No. Look, you have a compass- I need it!"
The Giant doesn't care what she needs. He squeezes harder and it shortens her breath.
Emma- "No, For my son! To save my son! Don't... don't you have a family?!"
The Giant- "No! Because humans killed them all."  He squeezes really, really hard and Emma bites him; she falls down onto his red slipper.  He takes off after her. Emma jumps over the trip wire and grabs Jack's sword to cut the wire and trapping the Giant under it.

With his one eye watching Emma, she threatens him with {Jack's} the sword she assumes has been dipped in poison.
Emma- " You have a compass. I need it."  It doesn't matter to the Giant as he assumes she's going to kill him anyway. "Go ahead. Kill me."
Emma- "You don't know me.
The Giant- "I know your kind. They massacred us and destroyed our beans."
Emma- "I heard it the other way.
The Giant- "It's because the victors get to tell the story."  Emma again threatens him with the sword.
The Giant tells her to stop and slips her the compass. "See. I'm not the bad guy."  Now with compass in hand she thinks that maybe he's telling the truth; but it doesn't really matter. "Are there any more of you?"
The Giant- "No. I'm alone."   Emma sees something and asks if it's a bean. "Can this make a portal."
The Giant- "Not anymore. It was destroyed like the rest of em. I wear it as a reminder- a reminder that you're all killers." Emma again taunts him with the sword and tells him "You're wrong." And she walks away.  The trapped Giant breaks out and shows Emma the way out; via a (mouse) hole in the wall. "Because you could've killed me... and you didn't. You get one favor now go before I change my mind."
Emma- "Actually, I get two favors. Well, the way I see it I could've killed you twice. The poison and when you were knocked out. I didn't."
The Giant- "What do you want?"

 

Emma rescues Hook. He wants to see the compass. It's more beautiful than he imaged. Emma is careful to not let him have it, so she pockets it.  Hook offers her his hand and she takes it. "Come let's go."  But Emma cuffs him with a golden cuff.  He's confused wondering why, "Have I told you a lie? I brought you here. I risked my own safety to help you. The compass is in your hand. Why do this to me now?"
Emma- "I can't take a chance that I'm wrong about you. I'm sorry."
Hook is pissed! "I got you here! I got you the compass!"
Emma- "I got the compass."
Hook- "You just gonna leave me here to die., Now that beast eat me- crush my bones."
Emma- "He's not a beast. And  you're not gonna die. I just need a head start- that's all." She leaves.
Hook calls out "SWAN!"

Mulan sees her sundial timer is just about up on time.  Aurora sleeps on Snow's lap. Mulan takes off to the stalk to being cutting it down; as per instructions of Emma. Snow and Aurora stop her; not wanting Emma to be left to die.  Mulan feels Emma may already be dead. Mulan strikes the stalk and it sends a vibration all the way up it. Snow literally tackles Mulan!  Mulan insists it was her daughter's wish. Snow doesn't care what she says "You do not put my daughter in danger!"
Emma jumps off the stalk "Stop!"  Snow runs to her. "You okay?"
Emma- "Two earth quakes and a jump from a beanstalk I think my brain's still rattling around a little."   Mulan was just carrying out her orders.
She shows the ladies she has the compass and lets them know Hook's detained; they have 10 hours before he starts following them. She has a friends looking after him until then.  Snow makes it clear to Emma "We go back together! That is the only way. Do you understand?!"  Emma understands and they hug. They head off to get the dust from Cora... and go home.

MINIMUM SECURITY CORRECTIONS FACILITY Phoenix, Arizona 
11 Years Ago

Emma sits quietly on her cot; eye glasses in her left hand.
"Swan, you got mail."  The corrections officer, Loretta, delivers her mail {yellow envelope} from Phuket. The rules indicate she has to open the mail in front of Emma. She shows Emma the Swan key chain and automatically knows they are car keys. "Hope you got the car it goes with." There's nothing else- no letter.

Loretta is sorry. "But good news. You get a car when you get out... And a baby. Congratulations."  Loretta locks her in.

Henry is sound asleep. He bolts awake from a nightmare.  Charming runs to his aid. "It's over."  He lights a candle to help; explaining the candle keeps away the nightmares.  Charming has Henry tell him about the dream.
Henry- "I, I was in this room... and ... and it was red. And there was no doors, no windows. And these curtains... and they were on fire.  And I was in this corner and, and, and it was looking out/up, there was someone else there.... she was staring at me through the flames, th, then I woke up."
Charming tells Henry not to worry "It was just a bad dream."