The Heart of the Truest Believer

"For those who immerse themselves in what the fairy tale has to communicate, it becomes a deep, quiet pool which at first seems to reflect only our own image; but behind it we soon discover the inner turmoils of our soul - its depth, and ways to gain peace within ourselves and with the world, which is the reward of our struggles."  -Bruno Bettelheim The Uses of Enchantment

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

We left off in S2 with young Bae being brought to Neverland and us being shown a drawing of Henry at the age he currently is. "Time and Space" issues are brought in to play here. How is Henry at age 11 known to Pan back when Bae was a young boy as well?
Let's also note that we been shown drawings of Milah and Belle, as well as island drawings in Rumple's old house. I guess Milah liked to draw.


"Emma, the minute I let go of the belief that things will get better is the minute I know they won't."  That's what Hope is. To hold on to the positive that things will get better. Sometimes, that's all we have. If you give in to the easiness of the power of just giving up, then you never even gave yourself a fighting chance for things to get better, to win... to have your happy ending.  Trust me, I know. Hope is all I got.

It's a leap of faith, trust and Pixie Dust!

"I spent more time than I care to remember to leave this place to kill Rumpelstiltskin, and here I am sailing right back in to its heart with him as my guest of honor."

There's more here than meets the eye. This is such a great way to jump into season three.  It's the stuff of legends- To see the trials of these characters trying to find their way.  These characters are suffering from pain they won't let go of, and for a few, have even forgotten they still carry around.  But they are learning. They are being challenged and tested with these new experiences, all in an effort to help them grow.  They all play a role in this fantastical game of life, and each role brings their own unique skills and knowledge to this new call to adventure.

We each have our own life experiences. Those individual and unique experiences lived through choices and circumstances provide us with information and lessons- even if we're the same age.  Sharing wisdom from experiences is a good thing, but sadly, not everyone wants to take advice.

What is Neverland's role in all of this?  Why does game playing Pan want Henry's very special heart?

When Rumple is brought to tears at the sight of the toy doll, what is its significance- what pain is it conjuring up? Rumple has been in pain for years over losing Bae. He's also lost Milah and left Belle behind in Storybrooke. And if we go further back, he has his own daddy issues as well.

The Power of Belief... and a World of Imagination 

Be Careful! Imagination is a wonderful and powerful tool. It can bring beautiful things to life, but it also can create very dark things too.

Portals take you to wherever you think of- thoughts created in your own mind and feelings from your own heart bring you to a new land. "Time and Space" may have no meaning in these places.

* Greg and Tamara believed their mission was to destroy magic and discover that a group of teenagers; The Lost Boys, are the ones known as the "home office."
* Henry believes his family is coming to rescue him.
* Emma starts to understand the power of believing.

11 Years Ago: Department of Corrections

Emma's is being coached with her breathing during labor- and her big push. A male child is born to imprisoned Emma at 8:15.  Through her painful cries the lights flicker like lightening. Emma is sure not to torture herself with looking at the newborn, as she is giving him away. She is told that she can still change her mind. But Emma knows she can't be a mother.

Present Day:

The six grownups are on board the Jolly Roger traveling through the spiraling watery portal headed for Neverland. Hook holds the wheel tightly while his passengers hold on tightly.  Once through the portal we see the waters are calm and the night sky is clear.  Emma is focused on Neverland and her goal to save Henry.

Angry Emma blames her mother for everything that's happened to Henry and Neal.  "You say good always wins... it doesn't. I didn't grow up in some fairy tale land. My experience is different and that's all I can go on."  The Charmings' are working hard to right the wrongs so they can be a family.  They stay optimistic no matter what- because it is who they are.

The Greatest Regret of My Life

Regret is a painful thing to live with. Regret haunts these characters.  They regret the wasting of time and not doing and saying things they should have or could have done/said or actions they could have taken. Some took the easy way out and didn't even try. While some held on to anger because that too is an easier way to get through something, than to trust you can let go of anger, move on, and find happiness.  But we know there are no shortcuts in life- Ever!

* Emma regrets breaking the curse and not just taking Henry.
* Snow and Charming regret their missing time with Emma, but are grateful that Emma found them and broke the curse.
* Gold regrets choosing his power over Bae on that faithful day way back when. I'm sure he has more than a few more regrets.
* Neal let Emma go so she could break the curse and fulfill her destiny. He regrets not going after her and telling her he love her.  His belief in love wasn't strong enough to overcome his fear of rejection.

The Island

Imprisoned Henry falls through the portal with his captors, Greg and Tamara; whom by the way, don't know the extent of their jobs and boss.  Greg and Tamara think they're going to destroy Neverland- the mother-load of magic. These two blind followers don't ask the home office/boss any questions about anything, they just believe in their cause. They quickly discover that their communicator is nothing but a child's toy filled with sand.

The home office just wants the boy, Henry. They're not making any more deals with the duo. Greg's shadow is ripped from his body; his body drops to the ground.  Tamara is shot in the back with an arrow. Henry runs away.

Gold/Rumple is the one who will go get Henry. He takes this on because he wants to succeed. He sees that Emma doesn't believe. She doesn't believe in her parents or in magic- not even herself.  He asks her "When have you ever taken a real leap of faith? You know the kind where there's absolutely no proof?"  Emma is one that needs evidence and for someone to tell her what to do. Gold/Rumple warns Emma that Neverland is a place where imagination runs wild, and sadly... Emma's doesn't.  He twirls his cane/walking stick and disappears off the ship only to appear near hurt Tamara. She apologizes to him about Neal, explaining she didn't know who they were working for. Gold can't forgive her, so he rips out her heart and crushes it.

Mermaids are Liars

To be fair, Emma is a fighter.  Hook gives Emma Baelfire's sword for the upcoming fight. Hook has a parental-like love and compassion for Bae, and he misses him. The two drink a toast to "Neal".

David tries to steady the ship as pissed off mermaids attack the ship.  He's determined not to be capsized by fish, so he fights back.   Regina throws her magic fireballs at the water, managing to chase the mermaids away. Snow and Emma catch a mermaid with a net and bring her on deck to be their hostage.  The hostage uses a conch shell to send out a warning. "Let me go, or die."  Thunder claps overhead. She doesn't need her friends to kill these people, "You'll kill yourselves."

The storm kicks up and Hook blames the mermaid for calling the storm. The gang get all fired up wanting the mermaid to call off the storm. As the gang bicker and fight with each other on how to handle this situation, the storm strengthens and the waters get rougher.  Emma wants them to calm down so they can think it through.

Regina magically turns the mermaid into a wood carving thinking it would stop the storm, but in turn creates a huge tidal wave to approach.

I love the point that Emma understood that the intensifying storm was manifested and aggravated by their anger and not the mermaids. Emma pleads with them to stop fighting but to no avail. So she does something desperate- she takes a leap of faith... right off the ship and into the stormy sea.

 

Under water she gets hit the head with a piece of equipment and is knocked out and she is rescued by David and the team work of the gang. This ends the storm and the night sky clears. Emma was right.

Homecoming for Baelfire

"Who are you?" 
Gravely injured Neal fell through his portal right back to the Enchanted Forest.  He wakes up on Aurora's cot; where he's well enough to be questioned. Once Aurora, Mulan and Prince Philip realize he is Henry's father, Aurora offers her "walk through sleep/dreaming communication services" to tell Emma Neal is alive and he loves her.

Neal/Baelfire tells Mulan how he got to the Enchanted Forest. He thought he was going to die and he thought of that place- growing up there. That's how portals work; they take you wherever you think of.  He also mentions that the other world thinks "that this place is just a fairy tale, like a, like a legend, like we're all just characters in a story."  They even made a movie about Mulan.  Aurora awakens to inform Bae she couldn't make contact.  Bae knows his father can help, as he always had a plan.  They head to Rumplestiltskin's castle.  They cross the dry bed of Lake Nostos.

Once inside the Dark One's disheveled castle, they find Robin Hood has taken up residence there.  Baelfire grants him title to the property, but first wants to look around for some magical item left behind by his father. Bae learns that his father spared Robin Hood's life and Robin owes him a debt.

Bae finds Rumple's old "enchanted" cane/walking stick; one that was marked, keeping track of Bae's growth.  Bae uses the cane to expose a door hidden by a "cloaking spell" that contained (magical) items.  Even though he spent his life running from magic he understands it is the only thing that can help him. With some concentration and deep thought and deep feeling about something he believes in (here it is Emma), Bae is able to jump right in an use magic.  He sees Emma in a small crystal ball- in Neverland.

Henry's New Playmate

Now on the run through the dark jungle, Henry is helped by a hooded boy who claims he can get them to safety from the Lost Boys.  Henry asks him "Are you a lost boy?"
"I was. But I escaped, and now they're after me too," states the boy.  With no time for questions the boy and Henry keep moving.

Later, the boy asks Henry "Did the shadow take you too?"  Henry tells of his kidnapping by people who work for Pan.
"I'm sorry. If he sent for you, he wants you. If Pan wants you he will get you," the boy tells Henry.  Henry asks "Why does Pan want you?"

 

The boy shows him Pixie Dust in a tiny vile that he wears round his neck. He stole it from him because he thought he could use it to fly away and go home, but it doesn't work- it's useless.  Henry tells the boy not to worry, as his family is coming to rescue him and the boy can go with them.  Henry's family is different than the other boys who believed their families were coming to save them. "We always find each other."  The boy warns that if they did Pan would rip their shadows into oblivion. Henry promises it's going to be okay. "Don't lose hope. All we need is time."  The boy claims there's a place the Lost Boys can't track them- The Echo Caves is the hiding place.

On the run, the two boys end up at the very edge of a dangerous cliff. Fearing this is the end, the boy wants to give up and give them the Pixie Dust, "Maybe they'll let us live."
"No. It's our way out."  Henry rips the Pixie Dust from the boys neck. The boy doesn't believe that the Pixie Dust works- but Henry does.  Henry opens the vile, holds onto the boy, and takes a running leap off the cliff. The magical Pixie Dust and Henry's belief gives them flight!

Henry and the boy make a bumpy landing in a tiny clearing. Henry tells the boy "See, if you believe... anything is possible."
"You couldn't be more right, Henry," the boy replies.  This lying boy already knows Henry.
 The amused boy tells Henry "Let's make it a game, a puzzle to solve."  The boy reveals that he isn't a Lost Boy and he doesn't work for Pan... he is Peter Pan. Pan reveals that he used Greg and Tamara, giving them a reason to hate and to fight for something. It is easier to get people to hate something to  than to believe.  Henry asks "Why did you bring me here?"  Pan explains  his quest to find the ever elusive "heart of the truest believer" and Henry proved that is the owner of that very special heart.
Pan paces and claims "And now you and it are mine."   Pan with his dagger and his Lost Boys circle around Henry.  "Let's play!"

Rumple's Blast from the Past

Rumpelstiltskin meets up with Pan's right hand boy, Felix. Rumple and Pan have history. Felix relays that Pan welcomes Rumple to stay in Neverland for as long as he likes- with one caveat... "If you're here for the boy, well... that makes you Pan's enemy."
Rumple feels, "Then nothing's changed."  Felix warns if Rumple goes against Pan he won't survive, and Rumple agrees with that, but Rumple's real question is "How many of you I take with me?"  That is Rumple's answer. This is all going to get very unfriendly.  Felix throws a handmade doll on the ground for Rumple. This trinket from Pan stirs up some pretty deep painful emotions in Rumple.
Felix calmly digs at Rumple. "It's funny how the things we haven't thought about in years still have the ability to make us cry. See ya 'round, Dark One."

On shore of the island, Regina feels she can repair the Jolly Roger and they can execute the pirate's plan. Emma wants her to save her magic because Pan already knows they're there. "It's time we stop running. Gold was right this land is run on belief. All of us have been too busy being at each other's throats to be believers. I was as wrong as anyone else. But it's time for all of us to believe- Not in magic, but in each other." 
Regina asks "You wanna be friends? After everything..."  But Emma doesn't expect that.  They need to cooperate. There's a lot of history here and a lot of hate.  Hook makes it a point to tell Emma he fancies her from time to time. Do they have history?   Emma assures them they don't have to do it the "right way", they just have to succeed. The way they do that is by being who they are- "A Hero, a Villain, a Pirate, it doesn't matter which because we're going to need all those skills whether we can stomach them or not."
Regina asks the "savior" what her skill is.  Emma looks her right in the eyes and says "I'm a mother. And now I'm also your leader so either help me get my son back or get out of the way."  Fighter Emma leads the group inland.


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

๑  Mother is the giver of life- the nurturer.
๑  Is the shadow the "dark side" of Pan or someone else- or does everyone have this "shadow"?
๑  "It may not have always seemed like it, but family was important to dear old dad"
๑  This family needs better communication skills and confronting past pain
๑  Electricity
๑  Imprison
๑  Communication
๑  Crystal ball- a smaller version than the one we see in The Wizard of Oz movie
๑  Island, beach, shore, jungle
๑  Hook plans to sail around the island and take them by surprise
๑  Signal fire
๑  Sun and Moon
๑  Arrow
๑  Game, puzzle, toys, doll
๑  Fire + Water
๑  Under water
๑  Lady of the Lake
๑  What Happened to Frederick 
๑  "'Cause I broker her heart."
๑  "Why did you bring me here?"

Vocabulary and Research...

๑  The Elder Scrolls Oblivion: Echo Cave
๑  Indian Echo Caverns is a show cave in Derry Township (Dauphin County) near Hummelstown, Pennsylvania
๑  Oblivion Castle in the Kingdom Hearts video game: It is a world found in the realm between Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories as the only real world in the game. It also appears within cut scenes in Kingdom Hearts II, Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, and Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix. It also appears as a digital copy in Kingdom Hearts coded and Kingdom Hearts Re:coded. The castle was ruled by Marluxia of Organization XIII, and consists of thirteen floors and twelve basements.

✔ Golden LOST Thread Woven into the Tapestry of this Tale

✈  8:15
✈  Execute
✈  Leap of faith
✈  Island, beach, shore, jungle
✈  Birth
✈  Push
✈  Water. Under water
✈  Storm
✈  Electricity
✈  Communication
✈  Arrow
✈  Fish
✈  Batteries
✈  Echo- Mr. Eko
✈  "Fire + Water "
✈  Said planned to sail the boat around the island and take the Others by surprise
✈  "Because you broke his heart." - "Left Behind"
✈  "Flashes Before Your Eyes"
✈  Examples of "Why did you bring me here?" being said in episodes:
"A Tale of Two Cities"
"LA X"
"The Package"
"The Candidate"  ("Why did he bring me here?"
"The End"

I was reminded of a LOST episode with handmade dolls. "The Man Behind the Curtain"
These dolls were gifts to Ben Linus on his birthday from Annie.