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."

Snow Falls

"Once in a while, right in the middle of an ordinary life, love gives us a fairy tale." - Unknown author

This week our beautiful tale focuses on matters of the heart.  The Queen wants Snow White's heart.  While in one version of the literary fairy tale we may perceive this as a violent and vicious act of vanity and jealousy, metaphorically the jealous Queen wants Snow's heart.  The Queen may have many possessions but she lacks something of true value.
Please note that there are a few versions of Snow White. The Grimm Brother's Snow White should not be confused with the story of "Snow White and Rose Red", another fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm.
An important thing to keep in mind with the literary story of Snow White is that she goes through a few rounds of "dying", waking up, deep (unconscious) sleep, waking up and so on. 

Pain, sadness and loneliness weighs heavy on Snow-Mary Margaret's heart.  We witness Snow admit to wanting to "leave this place, escape to another realm, somewhere isolated. Where I can never be hurt".   This is a protective survival mechanism, a self imposed isolation from the pain that life can and will bring.  The fear of getting hurt is so great; one would rather isolate themselves by choice and feel they are shielded from suffering instead of letting go of that old pain and move forward and grow from it.

In life bad things happen, sometimes a lot of bad things happen. People have physical scars and emotional scars.  Our scars play a role in shaping us and contribute to our life story.  One acquires a scar from a deep and painful cut.  In time these cuts should heal, but some leave such a deep scar that one is reminded of the pain every time they confront the scar.  But again, it's all a matter of time healing wounds, letting go of the pain and having hope and faith that you've learned something from that pain to get you were you need to go along your path.  Something that happens when someone is this lost, when they are shut off from the good things life will bring- they lose perspective and precious time...time you can't get back.

Snow White is attached to her pain and James is sentimentally attached to the ring that belonged to his mother.  Although the ring belonged to James' mother, it represents the item that bonds his merger together.  But to Snow the ring is a symbol of love everlasting.

Ahh, the magic of true love and destiny and that two specific people are meant to be together forever- soul mates.  It is such a romantic idea, could it rein true?  Snow/Mary and Charming/James/David seem to share a very close connection, just as some of us LOST fans saw with Desmond and Penny or Sun and Jin.  They always found their way back to each other.
Coincidence or Fate? Snow's dangerous fairy dust inadvertently ends up being good fairy dust; as it did take care of the Trolls, it also acted as a tool to help her connect with her special someone, James.  Even though Regina magically brings Kathryn into the picture, the connection was made between Charming/James/David and Snow White/Mary Margaret.

Is life just as series of chance or can things be listed under the category of fate and destiny.  Are the people of Storybrooke so void of hope and believing in positive magical happenings that they can't see that they hold the power to believe that they can have another chance at life, love and happiness?

The residents of Storybrooke lives are in flux.  Yes, they are stuck, but they can become unstuck with a little work and perhaps a little push.  Henry has taken on quite a role in all of this.  We've seen him move some of the pieces {People} around to move things along in hopes of helping return all to their happy place.

In life we can forget or simply don't discover who we really are.  As beautiful as life is, with all of it's good and bad, it gets in the way and tends to cloud over the person we really are inside.  I am a real and levelheaded person who is continually learning how the universe works and growing as I try to find my place in it.  But as I look around my house at all the fairy tale mementos and art cleverly incorporated into our décor and in my car and even on my key chain, it is clear to me that I’ve always needed to be reminded that maybe, just maybe a little magic is possible. 

So- believe in a little magic and some hard work, but more importantly it's important to keep hope alive.  After all, it's a terrible thing to lose.

Things to note...Questions to ask...

• There seems to be a blurring of realms going on here. 
• QUESTION- "What's outside that door?"  ANSWER- "The woods."   It appears that these two "realms" really aren't that far away from each other
• Perhaps the items that are showing up in both realms are or represent emotional "baggage" an/or "attachments" carried over to the other realm.
• How does Mary Margaret wear the peridot ring in Storybrooke, the very one we saw James have in The Enchanted Forest. Peridot gem- {August (8th month) birthstone-symbolic of the sun and protects one from nightmares. In more recent beliefs, peridot is thought to strengthen life, bring about prosperity, growth, and increase openness. It is also believed to help one to understand relationships, and to alleviate depression, anger, fear, jealousy and anxiety. Used by Egyptians, Aztecs, and Incas to gently cleanse and heal the physical heart.}  
• Regina keeps the fancy wood box that usually contains hearts in it, the one we saw in The Enchanted Forest,  yet it is on her desk in Storybrooke 
• Mary Margaret brings John Doe "back to life", just as Prince Charming does to Snow White.
• The Troll Bridge- The TrOLL Bridge 
• What is real and what is not
• Imagination
• Brain. Head
• Coma. Unconscious. Sleeping. Wake up
• Does Regina know the truth or some form of it?
• Claimed
• Monitors
• Doctor. Hospital. I.V.
• Transformation. Change
• Solitary/ Alone
• Ring. Circle. Loop. Band
• Life- Death; come bring back to life
• Being watched- from behind glass

✔ Golden LOST Thread Woven into the Tapestry of this Tale
More than a few times this episode brought me back to moments, themes and lessons learned in LOST.  I don't know...maybe I shouldn't 'go there' with ONCE and maybe it's wrong of me to think such thoughts.  I don't want to mistake easter eggs and nods to LOST as more that  what it is; as opposed to direct connections to LOST.   But I seem to have a loving connection to both shows and their stories, so I guess I should just chalk my whole personal Flash Whooshing thing that happens while watching ONCE, as happening in my own head.  But make no mistake about it- I am thoroughly and wholeheartedly enjoying ONCE for all that it is giving me.  It is truly a wonderful and beautiful fairy tale that stands on its own!  I look forward to every magical episode.

Again, please note that I am fully aware we are lovingly getting LOST easter eggs from the writers, but easter eggs are usually hidden images, messages and nods, but these are right there out in the open.
Here are just a few examples- as there were many, many others:

• James has no identity and must find who he really is
• Items are showing up in both realms; there is a blurring of the realms
• Real- Not Real
• Brain. Head
• The number 4 and 15
• Sleeping. Unconscious. Waking up 
• Imagination
• Monitors
• Cons and lies 
• Doctor. Hospital
• Read the book
• Transformation. Change
• Ring. Circle. Loop. Band
• Life- Death; come bring back to life 
• Being watched- from behind glass/Looking Glass
• Solitary
• Claimed- In Season 6 we hear a lot about being claimed
• Drunks- Jack, Christian, Roger Linus, Kate's father, Wayne
• Regina's office is Black, White and one dose of Red. Of course this is the color theme of the Snow White Story
• Snow gets caught in a {Danielle Rousseau type} net in the woods- and of course, Kate and Jack get caught in a net, as does Henry Gale/Ben Linus
• The children's artwork at the hospital brought me back to Santa Rosa Mental Institute- I can only wonder what that really says about me
• Jack finds Kate's mugshot flier; as she's a wanted fugitive
• We hear similar lines- "He's with me", "I'm with you", "Are you with me?", "I've always been with you"
• Henry went into a room he shouldn't have been in- reminds me of John Locke going into a room/hatch. Mr. Friendly references "Opening the door to rooms you have no business opening" in The Hunting Party
• Claire's mother was a librarian and in a coma- Par Avion
• Jack admits to Claire that he spoke in his sleep in Raised by Another

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

Here's your episode recap!

The Enchanted Forest
On a clear beautiful day Prince Charming rides inside of a white horse drawn carriage accompanied by his guards on horseback.  He also is accompanied by a blond woman with an attitude.  Charming asks her opinion on the view; but the disinterested woman feels she's seen better and it's taking far too long.   She would have rather taken the Troll Road as it would have been quicker and less bumpy.
A fallen tree with cut markings blocks their path and when the men, including the Prince, move the obstacle, they are attacked- it's an ambush!  A hand reaches in the carriage and takes the dark pouch Charming left on his seat.  A cloaked figure rides off for a quick getaway.  The brave Prince takes off after the thief.  Upon catching up to the thief the Prince tackles the thief demanding the coward show their face.  The reveal is a girl-woman-Snow White.
This Snow White is tough. She hits Charming in the face with a rock to make another getaway.
"You can't hide from me! Wherever you are I will find you!"  Yells The Prince.  Snow looks back amused.


Storybrooke
Mary Margaret is on a date at Granny's diner.  Their conversation is distracted by her disinterested date, Dr. Whale, who is eye-ballin' waitress Ruby in her red short shorts.
Dr.- "Where were we...something about you wanting 15 kids?"
That's not what she said- she was talking about the kids in her class (where she teaches); they're involved in the volunteer outreach program at the hospital. Dr. Whale says that's a great program.

Excited Mary Margaret shares that she wants it all; kids, marriage and true love.  Mary Margaret realizes this date is going nowhere so she asks Ruby for the check.

On her lonely walk home Mary Margaret comes upon Emma reading the paper in her parked car.  The streets are nearly deserted; the time on the library clock is 9:40.
Emma sits in her yellow beetle reading the classified ads by flashlight looking for a place to stay. In the world of tight spots she's been in, crashing her car doesn't even rank in the top 10.
"You're sleeping here?" asks Mary Margaret. Interestingly Storybrooke doesn't have any vacancies- obviously it must be the curse.  Mary Margaret's happy Emma decided to stay- for Henry.  She also shares that she is out late because she had a date.

Mary Margaret shares that the date went as well as they usually do- Dr. Whale didn't even pay.  "I guess if true love was easy- we'd all have it."
Mary Margaret offers her a room to stay in, for if things get cramped, but Emma turns her down as she's not the roommate type; she does better on her own.  Mary Margaret bids her goodnight and good luck with Henry.

Volunteer Mary Margaret makes her rounds at the hospital and sees Henry in coma patient John Doe's glass room.  The patient's in the ward are awake; one even keeps two prescription pill bottles out in the open on his bed tray while the children are around.

Henry appears to be reaching for John Doe's oxygen tube.  Mary Margaret enters telling Henry she could use his help with the decorations, but Henry's more interested to find out if Mr. Doe is going to be OK.  Mary Margaret explains that the man's name really isn't John Doe; it's just what they call people when they don't know who they are.
Henry slyly asks "Do you know who he is?"
Mary Margaret does not know and adds that he's been like that ever since she's been volunteering.  No one (family/friends) has claimed him in all that time.  Sadly he's all alone.
Again Henry slyly asks "You sure you don't know him?"   But of course Mary Margaret's sure she doesn't know him and escorts Henry out of the room he shouldn't be in.  Henry leaves with Mary Margaret; and takes a look back at Mr. Doe.

At Henry's playground castle, Henry shows Emma a picture of her father, Prince Charming, in the book. He shares that he found him in the hospital; he also has the same scar, in the same place, shown in the book. Unimpressed Emma feels lots of people have scars. Henry feels the curse is keeping them apart with the coma; now they're stuck without each other. "We have to tell Miss Blanchard we found her Prince Charming."
Emma feels that telling someone their soul mate is in a coma probably isn't helpful and not having a happy ending is painful enough, plus giving someone unrealistic hope is far worse. Since Henry and Emma know who they are all they have to do is remind John Doe who he is. So he suggests they get Mary Margaret to read their story to him in hopes that it helps John Doe remember who he is. Emma agrees, but they have to do it her way.

Over cups of hot cocoa and cinnamon, Emma shares her idea of reading the book to coma patient John Doe, in an effort to "remember who he was".  She reveals Henry's very active imagination thinks John Doe was Prince Charming; hence making the duo a couple destined to be together.  But that's Emma's point "I can't talk him out of his beliefs- so we need to show him. Play along, do what he says, and then maybe...just maybe..."
This way, just maybe, Henry will see that fairy tales are just that; that there's no such thing as love at first sight or a first kiss; he'll see reality.  Emma feels "Something like that."
Mary feels that sadly the plan is rather genius and they can get him to the truth without hurting him. Emma gives Mary Margaret the book and concludes with scheduling a breakfast meeting at Granny's with Henry where Mary will give a full report.   Mary Margaret will get ready for her date. "I guess I will have to do all the talking."

At the Hospital
Mary Margaret sits on unconscious John Doe's bed to read him the story.  Her disclaimer to him is that she's doing this for a friend "So please just bear with me."  {We hear the beeping of his heart monitor for a moment}
 She reads-
"As the Prince chased the thief on horseback through the treacherous forest Miss (P) crossed her arms and pouted- wondering how many dreadful boring minutes it took to resume their journey again.  The thief...
....They didn't need words to express what they felt in their hearts. For it was here in the shadow of the Troll Bridge that their love was born.  Where they knew no matter how they were separated they would always..."  Sleeping John Doe grabs Mary's hand.

Happy Mary is sure Doe is waking up.  She asks Dr. Whale if there's any change, but he looks at the monitor and tells her every thing's steady "Same as it's always been".   He asks her what she was doing in there, and that perhaps she dosed off while reading to Doe and imagined it.  Mary assures him she didn't imagine anything.
Dr Whale- "Miss Blanchard, I can only tell you what I see which is... nothing."   Sometimes there are minor fluctuations in readings- perhaps she heard the machine register something and misunderstood.  He suggests she goes home and gets some rest and he'll call her if anything changes.  Troubled Mary takes the book and leaves.
Dr, Whale gets on the phone to call Regina and cue her in on the change in John Doe. He explains there seems to be a slight fluctuation in brain activity.  Regina is troubled when she finds out John Doe grabbed the hand of volunteer Mary.

Mary sits in her bed reading the book.  Again we're shown the page with The Wizard of Oz first and then she turns the page to continue reading her story.

The Enchanted Forest
By lantern light Snow gathers up all her valuables and a special pendant filled with a gold dust that she puts around her neck.  All caped up she exits her underground dwelling, steps out into the woods and steps into a trap. She is caught in a net- one set by Charming. 

"I told you I'd find you. No matter what you do I will always find you" proclaims Happy Charming.  Snow asks if this is the only was he can catch a woman "By entrapping her?"   He feels this is the only way to trap thieving scum.  This is where Snow dubs him a real "Prince Charming"; although he has a name, which he doesn't reveal.  Snow demands to be cut down, but Charming will release her when she returns the leather pouch of jewels she stole from him.  Snow informs him she sold his jewels. This upsets Charming as, although he may have a palace full of jewels, the jewels in question were special to him; especially a ring belonging to his mother. The ring he was about to give to his fiancé; Yeah, the nag with the bad attitude.   Snow wishes him luck with that.
She accuses him of getting something impressive for him to agree to that union, after all she knows how this works- true love doesn't exist.  It's all arranged marriages and business transactions; there's no such thing as true love or a first kiss.
Charming admits to the merger but says it's not a takeover or an avoidance of war.  He blackmails Snow into giving him back his leather bag with his ring and he won't tell anyone who she is.  Snow White is wanted for crimes against the Queen. If Snow complies Charming won't turn her over to the Queen's forces.
Reluctantly Snow says "Well. I wouldn't want to stand in the way of you getting true love."   Charming cuts her down.

Storybrooke
At Granny's diner- Emma is wearing Regina's shirt-provided by Henry who 'took it' from his mother.  Mother Mayor thinks (lying) Henry's out playing Whack-a-Mole {an arcade redemption game}.  Emma wonders "And she bought that?"
Henry- "She wants to believe it so she does."
Emma- "Oh, imagine that."
Mary Margaret arrives for the morning report on John Doe.  Emma doesn't want Henry to get his hopes up; as their just getting started.   Mary Margaret informs them "He woke up. I mean he didn't wake up, wake up, but...He grabbed my hand."
Henry's excited that Doe is remembering.   She also shares that the Doctor thinks she imagined it. Mary Margaret insists she's not crazy; she knows it happened.
Henry- "We have to go back! You have to read to him again."
Mary doesn't need much prompting, so they head out.  Mary Margaret's excited that she got to him, made a connection, "Somehow, some way...I touched him".

As they enter the hospital ward excited Henry proclaims "You're right! He's waking up!"   The sheriff gives them the news that John Doe is missing.  They all see that Regina is front and center in John Doe's glass hospital room.
Regina comes out to ask "What the hell are you doing here. Then she grabs Henry by the arm "And you! I thought you were at the arcade! Now you're lying to me?"
No one knows what happened to John Doe or if someone took him; his IV's were ripped out and there's no sign for sure of a struggle.
Upset Henry asks Regina in an accusatory manor "What did you do?!"
Regina happens to be his emergency contact.  She doesn't claim to know him; she only claims to have found him on the side of the road years ago, with no ID.  "I brought him here."
Dr. Whale says that Regina saved his life.  He doesn't know if missing Doe will be OK as he's been on a feeding tube for years.
Emma decides they should quit yappin' and start looking.  Regina is already on it.  Regina also feels that since she clearly can't keep Emma away from her son, she will keep her son away from Emma.
Angry Regina walks right up to Emma and says "Enjoy my shirt, because that's all you're getting."
Regina orders the sheriff to find John Doe "You heard Dr. Whale-Time is precious".  She leaves with backpack wearing Henry.

Emma, Mary and the sheriff are with the hospital security guard (Sleepy) and {drunkard} janitor Leroy (Grumpy).  They're trying to see what occurred during a four hour window.  They watch a surveillance tape, but it's not the right tape.  Emma notes that tape doesn't show the decorations/banners the kids hung up in the ward.  Leroy notes the guard fell asleep again.   Without having to actually look for it, the real/correct tape is shown. 
They see Doe walked out alone.
Emma- "Four hours ago. Where does this door lead?"   Conveniently the door out of that hospital ward leads to the woods.

The Enchanted Forest
In the woods Snow and Charming make their trek to Troll Road to retrieve his jewels/ring.  At one point Charming lends her a hand.  Nervous Snow is twisting her gold dust filled pendant in her hands.  Charming wonders, that since Snow isn't the jewelry type what's that thing around her neck. {Maybe it's an albatross} She nonchalantly tells him "Don't worry about it", so he rips it from her neck.   Concerned Snow warns him its fairy dust- but it's a weapon.  He assumes fairy dust is a good thing.  Snow explains that's true when it comes from a good fairy, but this stuff is deadly.  "It transforms the most fearsome of adversaries into a form that's easily squashed."  

She didn't use it on him because he's not worth it.  Charming is amused.  Snow shares that it's very hard to come by so she's saving it for a special someone. Charming- "Ah, the Queen. You got a lot of anger there, don't ya, Snow?"
Snow- "The charges on her posters are lies.  Didn't stop her from sending her huntsmen to rip out my heart."  She also shares that not everyone is a soulless royal; he took pity on her and let her go.  Snow's been hiding in the forest ever since; trying to amass enough fortune so she can leave this place, escape to another realm, somewhere isolated "Where I can never be hurt".
Charming - "Sounds lonely."
Snow- "No lonelier than an arranged marriage."
Snow admits to only stealing from the Queen.  It seems her meeting Charming on the path while she robbed him may not have been chance, but destiny.
Snow- " All I'm doing, Charming,  is what it takes to survive. She wants me dead!"   Snow admits the Queen blames her for ruining her life.
Charming grants thirsty Snow permission to drink from the stream.  Snow takes this opportunity to shove Charming into the water {He's struggling} and take a pouch out of the bag and runs off.  At the road Snow seems to question which direction to run and turns right into three of the Queen's men. "Huh, look who we found."
Snow grabs for her deadly fairy dust necklace but of course it's not there.
The guard tells her there's nowhere to run "The Queen wants your heart", he takes out his dagger approaching Snow, "And we're not going to disappoint her."

The Woods Outside The Hospital Door
The sheriff, Emma and Mary Margaret search and track the woods outside of the hospital door. The sheriff claims "This is my world", as to give him a moment trying to track.   Mary Margaret wonders what Graham meant by 'This is his world', and asks Emma, "Isn't finding people what you do too?" It is what Emma does, but people she finds usually hit places like Vegas and not the woods.  Mary Margaret inquires how Emma fell into the job of finding people.  This just happens to be what Emma's done ever since she can remember. Mary Margaret reveals that Henry told her Emma is from a similar situation as Emma and asks if she ever found her parents. Emma replies "Depends on who you ask".
Excited {rule breaking} Henry shows up with his flashlight "Did you find him yet?"  Nope, not yet. Although helpful Henry knows he shouldn't be there he knows where John Doe is going. He tells Mary "He's looking for you".


In The Forest
The Queen's men trap Snow and are about to plunge the dagger into her chest the guard is brought down by a dagger thrown to his back.  As Charming is fighting one guard Snow tries to grab for another dagger she spots on the saddle of the rider-less horse.  But she is grabbed by the horse riding guard and carried away.  Charming rescues Snow by shooting an arrow into the escaping Snow kidnapping guard. Mind you, he shoots this arrow with precision through the trees.   With her hand over her heart, out of breath Snow says "You saved me"  Charming feels it was the honorable thing to do.  He keeps them on course to get to his jewels; as he has a wedding to get to.  He seems to not fear the Trolls as he thinks they're just little people.  Snow corrects him that Trolls are not Dwarfs.  Evidently Trolls are very violent.  They get to it as they both have places they need to be- Snow has her little corner of solitude and Charming has his ring-less finance to appease.

In The Woods Outside The Hospital Door
By flashlight the team continues looking for John Doe.  Henry explains to Mary Margaret "You're the one who woke him up! You're the last one he saw! He wants to find you."
Mary feels it's not about her; John Doe's lost and confused, as he's been in a coma for a long time.  Henry insists John Doe loves her "You need to stop chasing him and let him find you!"
Emma wants the kid to go home so they don't bear the wrath of his mother.  {Note that Emma's remarks indicate Regina would kill her, then Henry, then her again. Hmmm.}  The sheriff finds a clue; John Doe's (bloody) ID tag.

In The Forest

Snow and Charming arrive at the entrance to meet with the Trolls. {Note the design!}  Since Trolls don't like horses, Mary sends the horse away.  "We walk from here. Follow me and keep quiet."   As they get onto the decrepit Troll Bridge, Charming wonders where they are.  Snow places coins on the ledge as a means to entice the Trolls to come out.  Snow tells the weapon wielding grotesque Trolls that she wants to make another trade.  The head troll doesn't want to talk in front of Charming, but Snow assures him "He's with me" and insisting "He's no one".  All the Troll wants to know is "Who is he?!"
Snow only wants to buy back the jewels by giving them back all of their money and stuff, she only wants the ring.  The Trolls agree but feels Charming is too eager to make the trade and feels they are being set up, "He's a Royal!"  A fight ensues and Snow is again captured. She pleads with the Troll that they can trust her but the Troll tells her the time for dealing is done.

A Troll searches Charming and takes Snow's dust pendant from him and discarded. The Trolls discovers Snow's wanted poster with its reward and try to capture her again. Charming fights them off as Snow grabs for her dust filled pendant (and the pouch).  Charming manages to throw a Troll from the bridge but the others keep coming.  Snow assumes Charming is free, as she excitedly runs off she says "Follow me. They don't know the forest like I do!"   She looks back to see Charming fighting the Trolls alone, as she seems torn on what to do (continue to run or not).

"Royal blood is the sweetest of all", says the head Troll as he's about to execute Charming, but all of a sudden he turns to black smoke and into a black bug.  Snow is uses her dangerous fairy dust to turn the rest of the Trolls into bugs.
Charming- "You. You saved me."  Snow feels it was the honorable thing to do.  He realizes she used the fairy dust she was saving for her special someone; but Snow says she'll think of something else
"Anyway...how could I let Prince Charming die?"
Charming has a name, it's James.  Snow smiles "It's nice to meet you, James."   She suggests they hurry off as there may be more of them coming.  James gives the gold Snow left on the bridge for the Trolls back to her. He squashes one of the bugs as they leave.

In The Woods Outside The Hospital Door

The sheriff proclaims that the trail dies at the water line.   Mary searches with her flashlight and sees Doe lying unconscious across {half in} the stream.  The sheriff radios for an ambulance to be sent to the old Toll Bridge.  They gang moves not breathing Doe as Emma shields upset Henry's eyes, not wanting him to see.
Mary- "No! No, no, no- I found you! Come back to us! {whispers} Come back to me."  She performs CPR {she turns her CPR mouth breathing into a kiss} and revives John Doe.  Doe takes a deep breath, looks into her eyes and says "You saved me".   Henry is excited that she did it "She woke him up".   Emma is stunned.
John Doe thanks Mary Margaret and she asks "Who are you?"
John Doe- "I don't know."

Storybrooke Hospital
The clock on the wall shows 8:00.
Conscious John Doe is rushed back to his glass room at the hospital and again is connected to an IV, oxygen and monitors.  An upset blond woman hurries in "David! Is that you?!"   Dr. Whale tells her she can't be here now.  As Mary, Emma, Henry and the sheriff watch through the glass doors, they wonder who that is.  From behind them Regina answers "His wife".   They are stunned.

In the Forest

James returns the pouch with the gold to Snow and she returns the pouch with the ring and jewels. James takes the ring out to look at it "I know...not your style".   Snow grabs it and puts it on her right hand "There's only one way to find out".   As she longingly gazes at the (peridot) ring upon her finger and it appears as if something magical turned on in James.
She gives the ring back claiming it isn't her (style) at all.  He offers her the rest of the loot as the ring is all he requires.  She declines seeming happy that they both got what they wanted.  James tells her to be careful "If you need anything..."
"You'll find me" interjects Snow.
James- "Always."
Snow- "I almost believe that."  They bid each other goodbye. Even thought she knows his name is James, she likes Charming better. They both walk in separate directions.  James walks the path to his castle and Snow is on the path to...


Storybrooke Hospital
8:05
Regina reveals his name is David Nolan and that's his wife, Kathryn.  Regina is pleased with Kathryn's joy that she herself is in a forgiving mood.  But she will reprimand Henry for his insubordination; he's grounded.
Kathryn thanks Mary for finding her David; who left her after issues stemming from her.  She assumed he left town and now she knows why she never heard from him.  She is thankful she gets to apologize to him and gets a second chance with him; as she's wanted to do this forever.  She only wears a diamond engagement ring.
Dr. Whale feels David's a miracle, but he has no memory of anything.  Something just clicked in him to bring him back and go for a stroll; he woke up was delirious and his first instinct was to go find something.  Henry interjects "Someone."
Regina's ready to leave with Henry. While Henry retrieves his backpack he whispers to Mary "Don't believe them. You're the one he was looking for."   He insists it's like the end of the story.  But Mary feels it was him just recalling the last thing she read to him.  Henry insists it is because they belong together.
Of course Emma is suspicious of Regina and the appearance of Kathryn and the fact that after all the years no one made an effort to look for him.  Something's not right here!
Sarcastic Regina wonders what would make sense to Emma- "Why would Miss Nolan lie? Do you think I cast a spell on her?"
Emma finds it strange that Regina's been his emergency contact all these years and only found Kathryn now.
Regina informs her "This town is bigger than you know. It's entirely possible to get lost here. It's entirely possible for bad things to happen."
The suspicious mystery solving of Kathryn came to light after Regina thought Emma's genius idea of looking at the tapes for clues revealed that David spoke in his sleep- calling out for a Kathryn; after that it wasn't hard to put the pieces together.  Regina notes that Emma and Mary Margaret should have been pleased that true love won out.  She says that if it wasn't for them two, they would have lived their lives completely alone.  Regina also presses upon Emma that she is grateful she has Henry. "Because not having someone...well...that's the worst curse imaginable."

Although Kathryn hugs David, he makes eye contact with Mary, confirming a connection.
Mary is shown wearing the Period ring that James sought in The Enchanted Forest.

Sitting on her apartment steps and lost in thought, Mary fiddles with the ring in her right hand.
Emma arrives to ask Mary if her spare room is still available.