Manhattan

“Assumptions are dangerous things to make, and like all dangerous things to make -- bombs, for instance, or strawberry shortcake -- if you make even the tiniest mistake you can find yourself in terrible trouble. Making assumptions simply means believing things are a certain way with little or no evidence that shows you are correct, and you can see at once how this can lead to terrible trouble..." Lemony Snicket, The Austere Academy "

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


There are no facts only interpretations

I think if the writers stumbled upon my little site here, I fear they would find me crazy or worse.  After years of watching LOST I tend to read between the lines and question everything. That's not always a good thing. After all, that may not be the writers intention with ONCE Upon A Time, although we are given reason to be cautious of what we see. I love the writers and I thank them constantly for making me "think."

Why, oh, why does it bother me so, that in the episode Desperate Souls the original Dark One referred to Baelfire as Rumple's bastard child. The original Dark One tells Rumple- "You don't control them- You control me. Have you ever wondered...was he really your child at all? Unlike you he's not a coward and yearns to fight and die in glory. What a poor bargain that would be, to lay down your soul to save your bastard son..."
Now, did the Dark One say that just to piss off and confuse Rumple, or is there any truth to that statement?  Let's note that Neal just met his "bastard son." Interesting, it's like a circle or a cycle. Hmmm...
In this episode the Seer tells Rumple about Milah already being "with child." Is it possible Milah cheated on Rumple (let's say with the real love of her life, Hook or someone else) and Bae isn't Rumple's.

Of course I may be making more out of this than I should, but... Just to play devil's advocate, Milah, nor Rumple hint that she's with child before he leaves for his time in the Army. If anything, Milah only encourages him to fight brave, "And when you return we can start living the life we've always dreamed of- we can have a family."  So, doesn't the possibility exist that Milah wasn't with child during the opening conversation?

Rumple was excited at the possibility of escaping his father's shadow. Although Rumple's father was a coward, he deeply pained Rumple by abandoning him. I was pissed to see Milah harping upon Rumple's return, about Rumple's father being a coward and making him think he was as well, even after Rumple sacrificed his leg to be home with his wife and son and not be guilty of abandoning his child. But Milah twisted the whole thing around to make Rumple look wrong, weak and cowardly, instead of seeing any positive in his sacrifice. Therefore Rumple's only "fear" was being afraid to leave Bae fatherless- not afraid of the fight itself. But Rumple is guilty of listening to a Seer.

They are all guilty of holding on to the ghosts of their pasts.

Went to a Fortune Teller- Had my Fortune Read

"It's a tricky beast," Rumple is warned. But Rumple was taken by the tricky child Seer, who gives him, just vague enough information combined with a bit of valid Intel, to put doubt and fear into his head. She could have heard those facts from the gossiping soldiers in the camp and front line. The Seer implied Rumple's destiny is "something" that he perceives as death. But he's unaware that the future puzzle isn't a complete picture; it's jumbled and the pieces need to be sorted.  Now with a poisoned mind, poisoned by the tricky monster, fearful Rumple takes action- the very action that causes his own future suffering and leaves Bae without a father.  The child Seer never said he was going to die, that's a notion he put into his own head, she only said "your actions on the battlefield tomorrow will leave him fatherless."  He didn't even let events unfold naturally. As a matter of fact, the night before he was to go into battle the soldier was happy because things may have been looking up- "Fortune favors us! Fresh supplies have arrived from the Duke. Today we will not be marching into battle, we'll be riding."  If Rumple would have let the puzzle pieces fall into place, who knows... maybe he would have left a hero or maybe not. But he did fulfill the Seer's vision, in that he made it happen.


When will my reflection show... who I am inside

Call it what you want... Reflection, Mirror Moment or even a Flash, they are moments when we reflect back on the things that cause us pain, make us who we are, show us what to direction to take on the path and change who we are.  But we can only be in control of so much- there are variables.

Again, I'll bring up the tricky child Seer who states Rumple is scared to turn out like his father, but the newly drafted Rumple we saw was brave enough to try and dispel that fear, even though he lost his way for a while. He realized quickly that letting Bae go was the wrong decision and he's been working hard to fix that. He still may not know all the right moves to make, but he's trying to change for the better. Henry just might be the person who is Rumple's undoing... in that, he may help him turn over a new leaf; although Rumple currently perceives him as a threat, as per the Seer's prediction and Rumple now assuming she meant Henry.

Whether you realize it or not, even though Rumple is trying to improve his life, he seems to be helping others out too. He just has to look at the bigger picture and not think selfishly.  It's been my experience that people don't think with their head, they think with their heart and then they con their mind into justifying their decision.

I wonder if August is manipulating the story at all. His hands are in things somehow. There may be some trickery and conning going on. 

Many can assume and even hope that Bae is Peter Pan based on a few tid-bits given in episodes and it may be true, but there may be another way to look at things.  August is a big player in all of this as storytelling Pinocchio.  In Disney's Pinocchio, the liar and storyteller is conned by Honest John and Gideon, who convince him that he's sick and the cure is to go to Pleasure Island. There Pinocchio makes friends with other trouble making boys that gamble, smoke, get drunk and destroy Pleasure Island. The island has a crazy curse that turns the bad boys who make jackasses of themselves into actual donkeys; then they are sold to work in the (salt) mines and circuses. Neal wasn't an honest young man; he was a liar and a thief on the run.  Let's just see how all this plays out.

Things to Note...Questions to Ask... 

๑ Puzzle. Missing pieces.
๑ 407 is the area code for Orlando- home of Walt Disney World
- Ontario Highway 407
๑ August.
๑ Bae left Fairy Tale land before Regina cast the curse, so how did he come to know about the curse?
๑ A nice bit of text that August shows Neal in the episode Tallahassee,when he tells August "... I'm gonna tell you a story..."  Here in the episode Manhattan, August tells Neal  "When you see what I have in here you're gonna listen. You're gonna believe every word I say."
๑ Book. Written out. Draft. Stories. Report. Dewey-Decimal System. Read. Library.
In the Pilot episode Emma's door had  this-

๑ Both Neal and Mary Margaret's apartments have green doors. A green door leads you into Oz
๑ Regina said the curse was about Magic and not memories- yet in addition to Storybrooke being a land without magic, the residents have lost their memories.
๑ Fly
๑ Is Gold's ring a Mood Ring of sorts?
๑ Teach. Training. Learn
๑ Weave. Sew
๑ Honor (Although here it's not spelled how a New Yorker would spell it).  Nobel.
๑ Island = Manhattan. Bar. Key.
๑ In Child of the Moon, Quinn wears a ring with an "eye" motif on it.
๑ When the magic globe glowed the whereabouts of Bae, Rumple's blood did not settle on the New York area.

Vocabulary and Research... 

๑ "The Hedley Kow" is a Northumbrian English fairy tale. Abou a mischievous shapeshifting creature.
- Cow- adult female cattle
- Cows are sacred
- Cell on Wheels
- The Circle of Willis
- COW- Computer Originated World
- Cowes- the main township on Phillip Island in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia.
- Cowes- is an English seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight.
๑ The Flat Iron Building: The Fuller Building is located at 175 5th Ave. It sits on the block of 23rd 5th Ave and Broadway, anchoring the south Downtown end of Madison Square.
๑ Pan's Labyrinth- The film interweaves this real world with a fantasy world centered around an overgrown abandoned labyrinth and a mysterious faun creature, with which the main character, Ofelia, interacts.
๑ The Kris or Keris is a prized asymmetrical dagger most strongly associated with the culture of Indonesia, but also indigenous to Malaysia, Thailand and Brunei.  The Kris is famous for its distinctive wavy blade, but in the past, most had straight blades.  A Kris can be divided into three parts: bilah (blade), hulu (hilt), and warangka (sheath).  These parts of the Kris are objects of art, often carved in meticulous detail and made from various materials; metal, precious or rare types of wood, or gold or ivory.  Both a weapon and spiritual object, Kris are often considered to have an essence or presence, considered to possess magical powers, with some blades possessing good luck and others possessing bad. Kris are used for display, as talismans with magical powers, weapons, a sanctified heirloom, auxiliary equipment for court soldiers, an accessory for ceremonial dress, an indicator of social status, a symbol of heroism, etc. Legendary Kris that possess supernatural power and extraordinary ability were mentioned in traditional folktales, such as those of Mpu Gandring, Taming Sari, and Setan Kober.

✔ Golden LOST Thread Woven into the Tapestry of this Tale

✈ And... Manhattan is an island.
✈  8 (August), 23
✈  Bar- Christian Shephard, Jack Shephard
✈ Circle.
✈ I was always amazed that the Castaways were always following crudely drawn maps on the island, as if a child drew them.
✈ "The universe has a way of course correcting" Flashes Before Your Eyes
✈ Missing Pieces
✈ Desmond "sees" the future
✈  Three minutes
✈  "It doesn't work like that"- Desmond in Tricia Tanaka is Dead,
✈  "It doesn't work like that/that way"
       - Locke in This Place is Death
       -What Kate Did
✈ Kate broke Jack's heart
✈ About his visions of the future, Desmond tries to explain to Hurley "...it was sorta like a jigsaw puzzle, only I don't have the picture on the box, so I don't know how the pieces fit together exactly- but if one of the pieces..."  In Catch 22
✈ Manhattan: Michael lives in Manhattan, N.Y. - Meet Kevin Johnson
- The Flat Iron building is mentioned by Michael to Walt in episode "...In Translation"
- Jeremy Bentham/Locke pays a visit to Walt in Manhattan
✈  The Dharma Initiative recruits members (not drafts).  Some of its members are former military soldiers; Desmond, Kelvin, Mikhail, etc.
✈ Recruit
✈ Three Minutes
✈ The recruitment poster Desmond passes in Flashes Before Your Eyes doesn't represent the military or wording of the Military of England.
✈ Coincidence and Fate is a theme.  "Don't mistake coincidence for fate": The Cost of Living
✈ Christian tells Locke that the wheel slipped off its axis and all he needs to do is give it a little push it. This Place is Death


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

Milah seems happy and feels Rumple is a good teacher (sewing). She asks what brings Rumple home so early.  He's happy his weaving days are behind them and he's happy to be called to the front to fight in the Ogre Wars; he reports for training the morning. Milah's heard stories about the front being a brutal place. But this doesn't deter Rumple. He may be frightened, but this is the chance he's been waiting for all his life.  "I've lived under the shadow of my father's actions for too long now."  Milah encourages him, "Just because your father was a coward doesn't mean you are." Rumple knows that as does she, but to the world, fighting in that war finally gets him the chance to prove it to everyone else. So understanding Milah tells him to go and be brave, "Fight honorably."
Rumple smiles and tells her I love you, and she loves him too. "And when you return we can start living the life we've always dreamed of- we can have a family."  They are happy.

SOHO, N.Y.C.
Rumple/Gold, Emma and Henry arrive at their NYC destination. Emma guesses Rumple's son isn't expecting him.

Cora sits with Regina on her bed. Regina is worried about Henry because Emma left town with Gold and took him with her. She didn't stop them because she didn't know until after they'd gone. Cora is sure he's safe, "And as soon as Gold's done, Henry will be back."   "But not with me," claims sad Regina.
"Back- from where? Where's Rumpelstiltskin gone?" asks angry Hook, who appears in the doorway from out of nowhere.

Hook realizes if Rumple's left town then he's powerless and can be killed. Cora shares "The moment either of us leave we lose our magic- and our advantage."
"Your memories?" Hook wonders.  
Regina- "None of us were victims of the curse, it's not about memories- it's about magic."
Hook doesn't need magic and will go after Rumple alone. Regina feels that he can't just walk up to Rumple and stab him with his sword; although Hook prefers his hook. But hook isn't going anywhere. Hook is getting fired up, as he deserves his vengeance.  Cora feels he's right, "With the Dark One gone we can search for the one magical item that can actually kill him here... his dagger."

Henry checks out the apartment resident directory/bells but doesn't see Baelfire.  Emma feels "Yeah, that probably wouldn't fly as an alias. Your magic globe didn't give you an apartment number?" 
Rumple- "It doesn't work that way."
Henry checks out the resident mailboxes and asks Rumple if any of those names mean anything to him.
Rumple- "Well, names are what I traffic in, but sadly, no."
Emma decides she's found the boy, noting apartment 407. Rumple thinks not; maybe it's just vacant.
Emma- "You may traffic in names and magic, but I traffic in finding people who don't wanna be found, and those sort of folks don't like to advertise their whereabouts." She pushes the button to ring 407 and when the line connects she announces "UPS package for 407."  The line disconnects and Emma determines "He's running."  She hurry outside!
They see a man running down the fire escape when Rumple wants to cash in the favor Emma owes him. "This is it. Get him to talk to me. I can't run."  Emma tells Rumple to watch Henry and she takes off after Bae.

Emma chases the hooded man through an obstacle course and maze of streets- past the Flat Iron building, and then cuts him off, tackling him. They recognize each other. Emma freaks out; she won't answer anything until Neal tells her the truth.  "Are you Gold's son?" Emma asks. Neal doesn't know what she's talking about, "Who's Gold?"
"You played me." Emma states. "You're from there. You played me- And he played me- you both played me... You and Gold..."  Neal wants her to slow down, again asking who Gold is.  Emma blurts out "Your father. Rumplestiltskin!"  Neal is confused.  "He's here?"  Why else would Emma be in New York.   "You brought him to me?! Why would you do that?!"  Neal yells, but is cut off by upset Emma yelling back claiming to be the only one who is allowed to be angry here. "Did you know who I was, where I was from the whole time?! Was this just some sort of sick twisted plan- Did, did you even care about me at all?! I wanna know. I want the truth! ALL OF IT!"  Neal concedes, but feels they gotta get off the street. They can't do out here- out in the open.  "I spent a lifetime running from that man, I'm not gonna let him catch me. There's a bar down the street, we can talk there."  But Emma isn't drinking with him, she wants him to tell her everything now. Neal feels the bar is better and he gives Emma permission to keep yelling at him when they get there. Frustrated, she follows him.

Henry assures Gold not to worry because Emma's really good at catching people. Gold feels his son is good at running away; as he's been at it a long time. Henry notes the positive, "At least we found him, right?"  Gold agrees. Henry thanks him for the hot dog and Gold thanks Henry for bringing Emma to Storybrooke. After all, if he didn't, none of this would have come to pass. "You are a remarkable young man."   Henry shares "You know, I forgave her. Emma. For giving me up. She thought it was the best for me then, that's why she did it. I'm sure your son will get it too."
"Alas, the circumstances surrounding our separation weren't quite so noble."
"But you're here now, and you want him back, right?" Henry asks. Indeed Gold does, more than anything.  Henry knows that's all that matters.

"Well, what do you wanna know, Emma, the truth? Ask away."  Neal is sitting at the bar with two beers at the ready.  Emma doesn't sit and she doesn't hesitate to start the questioning. "Did you know who I was when we met?"
"If I had I wouldn't have gone near you," replies Neal.

Emma thinks he's holding out, but Neal reveals he was in hiding and "came here to get, awa, away from... (waves his hand) all that crap."  Emma surmises if he didn't know her then he was just using her because he needed somebody to take the fall for all the watches that he stole."I wasn't using you," says Neal.  "When we met I didn't know. I found out."  Emma sits and asks him how.
"When I went to sell the watches... I ran into a friend of yours... August."
FLASH to the night August purposely finds Bae and shows him what is in the box on the back of his motorcycle.
August- "When you see what I have in here, you're gonna listen- you're gonna believe every word I say."  {Note: Tiki torches.}
Neal- "Yeah, right." 
August makes the big reveal...

Emma is very emotional. "You left me... and let me go to prison because Pinocchio told you to. I loved you. "  Stumbling over his words, Neal claims he was trying to help her.
Emma- "By letting me go to jail."
Neal- "By getting you home."
Emma- "Are you telling me... that us meeting was a coincidence? Because how the hell did that happen, if it wasn't in your plan or your father's?"
Neal- "Think about it... He wanted you to break the curse. Us meeting- that could have stopped it. Maybe it was fate."
Emma- "You believe in that?"
Neal- "You know there's not a ton about my father that I remember that doesn't suck... But he used to tell me that there are no coincidences. Everything that happens happens by design and there's nothing we can do about it- forces greater than us conspire to make it happen. Fate. Destiny. Whatever you wanna call it, the point is... maybe we met for a reason.  Maybe something good came from us being together."
Emma takes a moment to reply "No. Not that I can think of. I just went to jail. That's it. Doesn't matter now. I'm over it... and you." {Talk about holding out!}
Neal notices she wears the (Swan) Keychain he got her and asks her why. Emma rips it off her neck and places it on the bar. "To remind myself never to trust someone again."  She tells him to come, sharing that she made a deal with his father she'd bring him to him.  Neal is bothered that she made a deal with Rumple.  Yep, and she's upholding her end. Neal tries to make it easy for her "Tell him that you lost me, tell him that you can't find me. You do that- you never have to see me again."


Rumple walks across the cold and snowy army camp when he's called over by a soldier, "I'm needed at the front. You guard this crate with your life."  The crate is covered over like a birdcage covered at night for a sleeping bird. Curious, Rumple asks what's under there. The soldier reveals it's a prisoner who could help them turn the tide against the Ogres. He warns Rumple to be careful, "It's a tricky beast."

Soldier Rumple stands guard of the tricky beast, when a small voice says his name from under the cover. He lifts up the cover to see it's a red haired child.  The child points, "Please. I haven't had a sip in days." {Of what, alcohol?!} The child knows his name because she's a "Seer. I see all." The child's eyes are not in her head where they should be, as those are stitched up with ugly black stitches, but her eyes are in the palms of her hands.

Rumple feels that's impossible and assumes the child must have overheard someone speak it.
"Rumpelstiltskin, child of a coward, raised by spinsters, scared of ending up like his father. Did I overhear that?" says the child. "I told you, I see all. Even what has yet to pass." The child claims to see the future, including his. Rumple refuses to indulge this dark magic. The tricky child wonders, "Even if what I see concerns your wife, Milah?"  The child demands water and Rumple, concerned that something's happened to Milah, obliges. "Here, slake your thirst, Witch, then speak of which you know of my wife."
The child Seer claims Milah is already with child. This makes Rumple happy, "I'm to be a father?"  The child witch adds "You wife will bear you a son, but your actions on the battlefield tomorrow will leave him fatherless."
"I'm gonna die?" asks Rumple. He wants her to tell him how so he can stop it from happening. The child claims he can't.  Frustrated Rumple is done helping the child, but the tricky witch knows, "For now. Someday you'll help me again."
"I bet Milah isn't even pregnant. You just said that so I would give you water- And now you're trying to trick me into deserting."
"You shall see... tomorrow, when you see the army rides cows into battle you will know I speak the truth."
Amused Rumple wonders "Cows? And who's going to mind the catapults, Milk Maids? I have had enough of your fiendish lies." The child raises her eye hand and claims "There's no escaping it. You will have a son and your actions will leave him fatherless."  Rumple quickly covers up the tricky beast.

Freaked out Emma is on the phone from N.Y.C. to her mother in Storybrooke, explaining how Gold's son is  Henry's father.  Although they each have a million questions, that doesn't matter right now because Emma doesn't know what to do.
"Henry thinks his father is dead,I told him that for a reason. I want to protect him," Emma tells her mother. But Mary Margaret doesn't want her to keep the news from Henry; she of all people should know how important the truth about your parents is.  Panicked Emma doesn't want Henry to get hurt and she just wants to protect him.
"Are you sure this is about protecting Henry and not yourself?" asks her mother.

Henry asks the obviously nervous Mr. Gold why he's so nervous. Gold's been fiddling with the ring on his hand. When Henry found his mom, he was excited.

Mr. Gold shares "Because I have the benefit of a little more... life experience. I know that things don't always happen... the way we want them to."
"Sure, but in my book it says you can see the future. Can't you just look and see what's gonna happen?" asks Henry.   Gold explains that ability is complicated and that he didn't always have it. "And then when I did... well, it's maybe not the gift one would expect. Seeing the enviable... can be a terrible price."
Henry feels then he would have to worry about stuff- you'd just know.
Gold enlightens the boy. "But that's the great trap... The future... is like a puzzle with missing pieces, difficult to read and never, never what you think."
Emma joins them in the lobby and tells Gold his son got away.

Regina pays a visit to Belle in the hospital.  "Who are you?" asks Belle.  Regina's pleased to see it is true that Belle doesn't remember anything.
Belle wonders "We're we friends?"  Regina only admits to spending some time together.  She's there because she believes Belle can help her find something that belongs to Rumple/Mr. Gold. Of course, Belle doesn't know him.  Regina casts a sleeping spell on Belle and goes through the things in Belle's bag via levitating them and picks a floating card out of the air.

At the library, Regina, Cora and Hook use the clue found on the index card to point them in the direction of Rumple's dagger.  Regina feels Gold wouldn't risk crossing the town line and losing his memory without entrusting the dagger's location to someone; and not hide it in an obvious spot.  Regina guesses Belle hid it in one of her beloved books.  Cora makes like she's impressed with Regina's detective work.

Regina's disappointed when the slot she believes should contain the clue isn't there.  Hook's impatient. But Cora is the one who fishes a little deeper into the space and pulls out a crude map.
"To the untrained eye, child scribbles, but to a Pirate... it's a map." Lucky for the ladies, he can read it and he's quite adept at finding buried treasure.

Puzzled David is trying to follow along and process that Rumple is Henry's grandfather. Yes, Henry has more than one grandfather. The family tree is strange.
Regina, the Evil Queen is Henry's Step- Grandmother- Mary Margaret corrects him "Actually, his Step Great Grandmother- and she's also his adoptive mother." David feels it's a good thing they don't have Thanksgiving in their land because that dinner would suck. Mary Margaret thinks maybe this will mellow everyone out.

Mr. Gold is pressing all the buttons in the apartment building and he gets buzzed in. "I'm finding my son," he tells Emma and Henry. He may be gone but he lives here, "He'll be back and I'll be waiting."

Mr. Gold is quite adept at breaking in. He tells Emma "Finding people is what you do, Miss Swan. I'm simply going to assist you, " as he picks the lock.  "There may be information in here- who he is, what he does- who he loves."  Emma warns Gold about laws. Henry decides to be lookout.  Gold isn't concerned about being arrested because that would mean his son would have to testify against him, hence reuniting them. Gold unlocks the door.

Rumple watches as the injured soldiers are brought back into camp. Another soldier considers them "Lucky bastards," They're not dead, but they can't fight, which means they get sent home; which means that's the only way out of there alive.  "When the Ogre's rip you limb from limb, pray that they're quick."
Another soldier announces "Fortune favors us! Fresh supplies have arrived from the Duke. Today we will not be marching into battle, we'll be riding."
Rumple asks "Riding? Riding what?"  "What kind of question is that- a horse of course. Now grab yourself a cow and get ready!" says the soldier.
The cow - the saddles made from the finest leather, they call them cows. At least their ride into doom will be a soft one on their backside.  Now, Rumple is really afraid, so he hurries over to chat with the covered tricky child.
"So, it's true. I'm gonna have a son. And I'm gonna die. Answer me!"  The seer isn't there and this angers Rumple. Desperate, he takes the huge hammer that is right there waiting for him and he purposely inflicts injury and pain upon himself.

The three enter Neal's tiny apartment. Emma notices a familiar dream catcher hanging in the window.

"You find something, Dearie?" Gold asks Emma.  Nonchalant, Emma just says it looks like a dream catcher. Gold wonders if it's nothing, then why she's still holding it. "You're lying to me."  Emma puts it back on the window and tells him to keep looking.

Pissed off Gold knows she's lying. Emma demands Henry wait in the bathroom while she talks to Gold. {Watch that look Henry gives Gold on the way out of the room.}

Emma claims "There's nothing here. The guys a ghost."  Gold isn't a fool, he wants to know what and why she's holding back. "Did he tell you something?!" yells Gold.
"No. He didn't say anything."
Gold now knows Emma knows more than she's saying, so he threatens her. Even though there's no magic there he doesn't need magic to do it.  They both don't want to be pushed. Gold flips out "We had a deal! No one breaks deals with me!"
Just then Neal barges in "Leave her alone."  Gold is floored.

The gimp imp returns home to Milah. He enters to find her holding a sleeping baby in her arms- she is surprised at his return. Rumple immediately wants to know "What's his name?"  Milah smiles, "Baelfire."
Rumple is happy with the strong name choice and falls from his pained injury. 
"Something he'll need if he's to live with the shame of being your son," Milah says.  She wants to know if it's true- did he injure himself on purpose. Apparently everyone told her that. Rumple admits he did do this to himself, explaining that a Seer told him he was going to die in the battle.  Milah's upset he did it because a Seer told him to do it. But Rumple says the Seer was right about everything else."I left the front to be with you- you and... Baelfire."
Milah feels he left because he was afraid. "You became what everyone thought you were- a coward just like your father!"
Rumple jumps to his feet "I'm nothing like my father! He tried to abandon me. I will never ever do that to my son. That's why I did this- for him. All for the boy. To save him from the same fate I suffered- growing up without a father."
Milah feels Rumple sentenced him to a fate much worse "Growing up as your son." She'd rather Rumple fought, "You could've died."   Rumple is hurt. Milah hands him the infant and walks out with her water bucket.  Rumple looks into Bae's eyes, telling him it will be alright.  "Your papa's here. And I promise... I will never ever leave you."

In Neal's apartment Gold sees Bae for the first time and says "You came back for me."  Bae says "No. I came back to make sure you didn't hurt her. I've seen what you do to people who break deals."  Rumple begs, he just wants to talk to Bae, but Bae has no interest in talking to him and tells him to go. Rumple isn't going anywhere and when Emma tries to calm "Neal", Rumple realizes the two know each other and demands to know how. Henry hears the commotion and asks his mother what's going on. {Yes, he calls her "mom."}
Neal asks "Who's this?"  It doesn't take long for a few of the pieces to fall into place.  Neal asks the boy "How old are you, kid?!"  Henry yells back "11!"  Neal asks Emma if this is his son, it's Henry who shares "No. My dad was a Fireman, he, he died."  Now Henry realized Emma has lied... lied to all of them.  Emma finally says "yes" to the shocked family. Upset, Henry steps out on to the fire escape. Neal is focused on the news he just received, wanting to go to his son and Gold wants to talk to his son. "All I want is a chance to be heard."   Neal wants him to leave, but Rumple won't because Emma deal isn't fulfilled. The deal included Bae talking to Rumple. Neal gives him three minutes.

Greg makes a call on his cell before leaving the hospital. He tells "Her" that he's going to stay there for a while and sends her video proof of Regina using magic in Belle's hospital room.

Cora rips the map out from under Hook, who has just given them the location of the dagger. "We'll take it from here."  Hook is pissed and goes after her. Cora simply uses magic to toss him back. "The Kris Dagger is much too powerful to be wasted on you."   Regina has a revelation "So, is this what it was all about? Getting Rumple's dagger so you could obtain his dark powers?"
"If we possess the dagger we control the Dark One, and when he returns to Storybrooke we can command him to kill Snow White, Prince Charming and Emma. Our enemies will be vanquished and you will be blameless in the eyes of the only person who matters."
"Henry."

Out on the fire escape, overlooking the cities buildings with their water towers perched on top of them, Henry asks Emma "So, that's him."  Emma admits it is and admits lying because she never thought she'd ever see him again and she never wanted to; because he was a thief, a liar, a bad guy who broke her heart.  Henry lets her know he could have taken the truth and Emma knows that. It's just that was a part of Emma's life she wanted to forget. "I was thinking of me- not you."
"I thought you were different, but you're just like her, Regina, she always lied to me too," Hurt Henry shares with his mother.  This in turn hurts Emma and she apologizes. Henry wants to meet his dad.

Neal tells Rumple the clock's ticking, so Rumple talks. "I know I've made mistakes, but you must believe me... I wanna make up for it. There's no greater pain than regret."
Neal quietly chuckles, "Try abandonment."
"Please, let me make it up to you."
Neal wonders how he's going to do that. He grew up alone, without a father- "You can make up for that?"    Rumple can. Neal updates "Two minutes."
Rumple invites him to go to Storybrooke with him. "There's magic there. I can turn the clock back... make you 14 again. We can start over."
Neal moves uneasy on his feet and appears antsy. He doesn't want to be 14 again, "Are you insane?" Rumple can't make up for the lost time but he can take away the memories.
"Take away who I am, no thanks. One minute."
Rumple whispers, begging, "Give me a chance. You once loved me."
Neal feels Rumple was once a good man and Rumple feels he can be that man again. "I've changed. Look, I came here... to this City... without magic."  Neal accuses him of trying to use it to make up for his mistakes and make it all better- it can't. "You have no idea what I've lived with... You're so worried about you, you know what I've dealt with?  Every night- for more years than you know... the last thing I see before sleep... is the imagery of you. You and me... over that pit, your hand... wrapped around mine... and then... you open your grip... and as I fall away all I can see is your face... choosing all ... this (waves his hands indicating everything)... crap, over me. Letting me go... Now it's my turn. Now I'm lettin' you go."
Even though the replay of those events break Rumple's heart all over again, Neal doesn't care because he didn't get closure so Rumple doesn't either.  Time's up.

The Dark One approaches a fire pit in the forest and is met by an older version of the red headed Seer. She's been expecting him. "What I foretold to you during the Ogre's War has finally come to pass."
Amused, Rumple replies, "Well, in a matter of speaking. I, uh, hobbled myself on the battlefield, was branded a coward, my wife run away and left me. Then my son was called to the front. Oh! And then I became the Dark One. Then- Bae left me. So, yes, my actions on the battlefield left my son fatherless. But... would have been nice to know about all the pesky details."
"Knowing... would not have made a difference, you still would have been powerless to escape your fate," The Seer informs him.
Rumple giggles his impish laugh, "Just - like - you."  He puts the old Darth Vader choke hold on her and wants to know how to find his son. The Seer gets herself into a dramatic pose to conjure the images she's to share with him, whispering "You will find him."
"How? And this time don't leave out a single detail," Rumple warns.  The tricky creature, still in her  "altered" state of summoning the future, tells him "His will not be an easy path- it will take many years and require a curse - a curse powerful enough to rip everyone from this land..."
"Yes! Yes! There's more I know it, tell me!" Rumple needs to know as he waits through this dramatic display of fortune telling.
"You will not cast the curse, someone else will. And you will not break the curse- someone else will," as the Seer seems to stop seeing.
"Tell me!" demands Rumple. But she says she doesn't know, "Even my powers have limits."
Rumple waves his finger in disapproval toward her, "Ah, ah, ah! Not good enough, Dearie."  Rumple again Darth Vader choke holds her again, and with her straining voice she tells him "If you want to see the path you must take there is only one way... (She holds her hands in front of him) Take this burden from me."  Gladly, he does, while she screams.

Emma climbs back into the apartment to tell Neal his son wants to meet him. She warns him not to break his heart.
"Trust me, I'm not gonna do to him what he (Rumple) did to me," Neal referring to Rumple.
"And what you did to me?" Emma replies.  Neal gets it, they're all messed up and they should try to avoid that with Henry.

Neal climbs out the window onto the fire escape to meet Henry, but it's Henry who speaks first. "So, you're my dad.... I'm Henry."
"It's nice to meet you, Henry. I'm sorry it took so long."  Henry says it's okay, "You didn't know."
Rumple takes a peek at the pleasant reunion on the fire escape of father and son. {Note: Rumple's reflection.}

The Seer is still screaming during the transfer of "seeing the future" power into the Dark One.
"I can't see anything- It's too much. It's nothing but a jumble!" Rumple states.
The Seer tells him the future is a jumble with many pieces to be sorted, "In time you will learn to separate what can be from what will be."  Rumple breaks their hand holding vision transfer and the Seer falls to the ground. Rumple feels this is why she wanted to give him her power, "To free yourself from this torment!"  The Seer assures him in time he will work it all out. "Wait. As gratitude I offer you one piece of the puzzle... You will be reunited with your son and it will come in a most unexpected way..."
"How?!" demands Rumple.
"A boy... A young boy will lead you to him. But beware, Rumpelstiltskin, for that boy is more than he appears. He will lead you to what you seek... But there will be a price... The boy... will be your undoing." And out she goes.
Rumple is certain, "Then I'll just have to kill him."

We see Emma and Gold looking through Neal's apartment window at the lovely reunion.

The Stable Boy

"Fear is the path to the Dark Side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering." - Yoda


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


Say it again- Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see

Perception is everything. That statement is true and I couldn't agree more. Perception is not just about what you see.  It's also about what you hear and what you feel. Your perception is interpreted based in your own personal experiences, beliefs and what you believe to be the truth.

This is also true as to how someone perceives "magic"; whether it's in a positive or negative light. Some people behold "magic" as a beautiful and powerful thing; true love is pure magic. Others feel "magic" is associated with something wished for; such as wishing for dreams and desires to come true. And then there are other people who observe "magic" as a powerful antagonistic force; using it to control, manipulate, curse and abuse.

Regina's pain goes beyond little Snow White's inadvertent betrayal. Mommy dearest, Cora, is at the core of it. Is Regina confusing "magic" and (child) abuse?  Is Cora walking a line between tough love and abuse?  Is motivated mother really just "helping" and guiding Regina for a purpose; like trying to turn soft metal into steel?  Cora uses her manipulating and magical controlling tactics as a means to help her daughter and others.  On the surface it may seem she is driven by the desire to have her daughter attain the brass ring (so to speak) so Regina doesn't have to suffer a life of poverty. But looking a little deeper, it could be taken that Cora's motives are simply seeded in her own hurt heart, and that she may be a bit crazy and crossing a line into child abuse.  Whether that's the case or not, the bottom line is Regina fears Cora.

Cora is imprisoning Regina with her control based from her own fears. She saddles her daughter with expectations of a life she herself desired. But that life does not include true love; as it is obvious mother has a hatred for love due to a deep hurt from it. This experience has twisted her perception. This actually makes Cora emotionally imprisoned as well. Cora's actions of ripping Daniel's heart out may be to spare her daughter of the heartbreak she fears this man and their love will bring. But it is that twisted act of protection that causes her daughter's extreme heartbreak.

Although we see a moment when young Regina can reprimand the stable boy in front of her mother  (this pleases Cora) she does know what love is, the difference between good and bad, helping and being compassionate to others. She even selflessly doesn't hesitate to save little Snow on her runaway horse.
"The only way to overcome fear is to face it."  Regina gave this wonderful nurturing advice to fallen Snow White. She also tried to face her fear of Cora in the stable- but Cora was stronger... much stronger.

Cora's concerns for her daughter's happiness may seem genuine to outsiders and especially to good hearted young Snow White, a loving motherless child; whom she also manipulates.  But the thing I wonder about is father Henry.  He doesn't really do much to protect Regina from Cora's damaging parenting. Henry may be Regina's constant, the source of her grounding- her stability.  The stable boy would have been a stable relationship for Regina. But alas, it wasn't to be. Who knows, maybe there's a chance for them in the future.

All little Snow wanted for Regina was for her to be happy with her true love.  Regina being with her true love was more important to Snow White than Regina being her stepmother.  Snow was so compassionate to Regina and Cora's relationship that she wanted to help save it.  She didn't want Regina to lose her mother, like Snow lost hers.  But the now poisoned Regina couldn't let go of the "treason" of the little girl, as opposed to having understanding that it was an innocent yet unfortunate mistake.  She saw Snow's "helping" as a correlation to her mother's idea of the word "helping."  Regina's perception about love and family becomes distorted.  Poor little Snow White was used.  She is innocent and also was the victim of manipulative Cora.  Thus becomes the vengeance that fuels Regina wrath. Make no mistake about it, Cora and Regina made choices on who they were to become. Ultimately the rotten apple didn't fall far from the rotten tree.

Sometimes it's hard to see what's right in front of us

Even when we're looking for proof and it's staring us in the face, we still may not see it.  While others may see proof but still chose not to believe it. People in Storybrooke are walking around confused and not understanding things, and at times try to attach meaning to nonsense and madness. Some are blindly following in the hopes that someone will lead them to whatever it is they're looking for or where ever they need to go.  Emma is one of these people.  There's a need for some guidance.  What truths will be uncovered when they finally have clarity?

On a funny side note, to me Emma is kind of like the Daniel Faraday of Storybrooke. Daniel Faraday is a physicist and visitor to the LOST "Island."  He was smart but confused and in need of the "Island's" help to get well.  In my opinion he wasn't a very good physicist and was wrong about certain "Island" happenings a couple of times. Emma is not a very good detective and doesn't have good instincts or superpowers.  She often needs to be nudged in a direction of investigation and she couldn't even decipher Henry's simple code of "The eagle is in the nest and the package is secure."

Emma and Jack Shephard of LOST share a few similar traits.  Both are stubborn and doubters; both need evidence of things.  They are not believers of faith, magic or destiny. Something has to happen for them to open their eyes and truly see and believe.

"If you drink much from a bottle marked 'poison' it is almost certain to disagree with you, sooner or later."

I'm not a writer, but just like August, I'm also partial to finding my answers in a literary form- and I'm a sucker for stories being told via metaphor.

In Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, chapter 12 is titled Alice's Evidence.  In short- There is a lot going on in the court.  Alice is on trial for the issue of the tarts.  We learn about Rule 42 and how there's making up of one's own rules.  Everyone in the courtroom is confused due to misunderstanding of words and things being backwards.  The Queen even demands the sentence be read before the verdict!

But in the end Alice sees that Wonderland isn't real- it was all a dream.  Alice's evidence is that she woke up, shattering her illusion.


The Marionette Theater

There's a part of this current fairy tale that I've recalled upon a lot over the past few days.  In the episode "That Still Small Voice", Jiminy Cricket's parents turn a nice little boy's parents into marionettes/dolls, leaving the boy an orphan. And then the Blue Fairy tells Jiminy Cricket that he needs to find the boy and help him. That boy's name is Geppetto.  If the orphan boy is Geppetto, he's younger than Jiminy is in Fairy Tale Land, but he's older than Jiminy/Archie in Storybrooke.

Who is August?  I don't fuckin' know.  But I just can't seem to let go of trying to find out!  The clues point toward a link to Pinocchio.  In this episode alone August talks of writers block and uses the word "block" a few times, he complained of shin splints and he obviously uses a homophone three times in one sentence; indicating the word "wood".  And I can't ignore his reaction to the implication of him possibly being a liar.  Do we have a bit of liar paradox there?

But are we being misled by the writers and Augusts' reveal will be a shocking twist like he's someone like... Walt Disney?  Bwahaha!  If he is mischievous Pinocchio, could he have been in the tree wardrobe with the infant when a spell was cast?  We have the newspaper clues mentioning that a 7 year old boy found a baby on the side of the road.  Is this boy a traveling companion with the infant or was this really a different boy and an innocent side of the road discovery?

Okay, here are a few more literary facts about the boy made from a block of pinewood from The Adventures of Pinocchio-
Mister Antonio/Master Cherry, known for his bright shiny red nose, found a block of pinewood which he plans to carve into a leg for his table.  When he begins, however, the log shouts out, "Don't strike me too hard!"  Gepetto drops by looking for a piece of wood to build a marionette; seeing a perfect opportunity, Antonio gives the block to Gepetto.


Strange things are afoot at the Circle-K

Wait, what? Okay, I'll be the first to admit it... I'm confused about Regina and her wanting to send Mary Margaret out of Storybrooke for good.  I thought she wanted her trapped in Storybrooke.  Maybe Regina wants her out because the truth is creeping in on her and this is a move she needs to make for her own protection.  Maybe it's possible that we're not witnessing the curse strictly cast by Regina's spell alone.

Things to Note...Questions to Ask...
๑  Here's a thought- Is there any way little Snow's runaway horse incident was staged only by Cora, or by any chance was the King in on it with her? I'm just asking.
๑  Regina is a bad-ass equestrian
๑  Henry has a lot of clocks in his room
๑  To me, there seemed to be a lot of green eyes in this episode. 
๑  Does the Storybrooke TOLL BRIDGE actually take tolls?
๑  Mental and emotional health
๑  King George- Spencer
๑  Learning
๑  Horse. Deer
๑  Honor
๑  Hope and Faith
๑  Right. Wrong
๑  Key
๑  Balance: Bicycle. the number 2
๑  Flowers: Orchid. Tulips
๑  Granny really wants people to know she's OPEN.  She has a lot of signs!
๑  Visitors
๑  Win
๑  Games: Stratego. Risk. Scrabble
๑  Bug
๑  Graham's jacket still hangs in the sheriff's office
๑  Firefly Hill in "Dreamy"
๑  Homophone: Would- Wood.
๑  Cora- core

Vocabulary and Research... 
๑  Cora- The  name Cora means maiden.
    - In classical mythology: name of Persephone, the goddess of the underworld who lives there in winter, before her return in spring causes the cycle of life to continue.
๑  Mr. Gold uses the word "prototype" when describing Mary Margaret.  I don't know, I would have used the word "profile." 
   - A prototype is an early sample or model built to test a concept or process or to act as a thing to be replicated or learned from.
    - The word prototype derives from the Greek (prototypon), "primitive form", neutral of (prototypos), "original, primitive", from (protos), "first" and  (typos), "impression".
   - Prototype is an open world action video game
๑ The Package is a song off the album "Thirteenth Step" by the band A Perfect Circle.  There's also a track titled A Stranger
๑  Bow:
   - Bows are performed both in Shinto and Buddhist settings.  Namaste is derived from Sanskrit and means "bow to you" translated as "I bow to you"
   - Korean Zen Buddhism has a daily ritual in which practitioners do 1,080 full prostration bows, usually spread throughout the day.  More casual practitioners and laypeople typically do 108 bows once a day instead.
  - Bowing is an important part of the Japanese tea ceremony.
  - is a nautical term that refers to the forward part of the hull of a ship or boat, the point that is most forward when the vessel is underway.
๑ Tea contains L-theanine, and its consumption is strongly associated with a calm; but heightens alertness and focused, relatively productive (alpha wave dominant), mental state in humans.  This mental state is also common to meditative practice.
   - Tea, a slang term for marijuana
๑  Skeleton Key- used in reference to a key (or similar object) capable of opening any lock regardless of make or type. aka a passingkey is either a key that has been altered in such a way as to bypass the wards placed inside a warded lock or an American term for a lever or "bit" type key. The term derives from the fact that the key has been reduced to its essential parts.

- A Skeleton Key to Finnegans Wake (1944) by mythologist Joseph Campbell and Henry Morton Robinson; which provides an in-depth analysis of Finnegan's Wake by James Joyce. That James Joyce's book is considered to be "the greatest book that nobody's ever read"

 -  Skeleton Key is the Third book in the Alex Rider series (adventurous spy novels about a teenage boy) written by British author Anthony Horowitz. They are children's books.
 - Skeleton Key: A Dictionary for Deadheads, by David Shenk and Steve Silberman. For fans of the Grateful Dead.

 - Skeleton Key is a rock band based in New York City.
๑  Horseback riding tid-bits- Show jumping comprises a timed event judged on the ability of the horse and rider to jump over a series of obstacles, in a given order and with the fewest refusals or knockdowns of portions of the obstacles.
   - The idea that riding a horse astride could injure a woman's sex organs is an old wives tale.
๑  Saddle stitch, a form of book binding
๑  Old Maid- a child's card game- The game spawns an element of bluffing, commonly used in poker.
๑  Hearts is an "evasion-type" trick-taking playing card game.

In Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, chapter 12 is titled Alice's Evidence:
I'm noting this passage- "Off with her head!' the Queen shouted at the top of her voice.  Nobody moved. 'Who cares for you?' said Alice, (she had grown to her full size by this time.) 'You're nothing but a pack of cards!'

What do we make of this page from the fairy tale book? I apologize that it's not a clear picture.

Flowers are prominent in this episode, especially tulips and orchids; two flowers that are part of the LOST story.  This is the Orchid on the "Island"-

✔  Golden LOST Thread Woven into the Tapestry of this Tale
✈  108
✈  23
✈  Honor
✈  Expose:  Cobra, Nikki, Paulo, crime scene, trajectory, Medusa spider, script, orphans, diamonds, walkie, Mr. LaShade is the Cobra, Hurley feels that Desmond (flashes) superpowers are lame.  Things don't stay buried for long.  We also discover Ben is behind certain things; he finds out what the Castaways are emotionally invested in and he exploits it.  And, the perception by a few Castaways' as to what they each heard when Nikki says "paralyzed."
✈  We learn more about John Locke's "mother issues" in "Across the Sea".  His mother had mental/emotional issues.
✈  Locked up in a cage: Kate, Sawyer, Karl, Jack jail and glass cell, the bears and birds.
✈  Incarcerated: Hurley in Santa Rosa and jail.  Kate and Sawyer.
✈  Dead.  Deceased.  Late.  Gone.  Not dead
✈  Charles Widmore's son is Daniel Faraday-Widmore and daughter is Penny Milton.  Also he was financing the medical care of Theresa Spencer.  Abigail Spencer appears in Jughead
   -    HM Melbourne Assessment Prison is an Australian remand and reception prison located on Spencer  Street, Melbourne Victoria. The prison is also known by its knick name "The Map."
✈  Desmond is referred to as "the package" in The Package.  He's been returned to the "Island" by Charles Widmore
✈  Tulips
✈  Bug
✈  Tea
✈  Sun's mother chats with her about getting old and not being married
✈  Sundown
✈  Again I'll note that in "This Place is Death", Charlotte tells Locke "You can find the Orchid at the well".   The Orchid hides the frozen wheel behind the Dharma Station Gizmo that is used for experiments.

Enough of my rambling...Here is your episode recap! Enjoy! 

Regina holds a gold twisted band and is obviously deep in thought with a longing memory.
"Remembrance of things past" asks Mr. Gold. {Regina's back is to him, yet he knows what she was doing.}  He shows up in her office in need of a favor.
We then get notice of-

ONE WEEK AGO

Mr. Gold- "Well, as you know there are battery charges against me- pending.  I really don't relish the thought spending any more time locked up in a cage.  Now, someone with your influence can make the D.A. suddenly realize what a flimsy case they have.  Isn't that right, Your Majesty." {He takes one red apple from the white bowl of apples}  In return he offers her help with her Mary Margaret problem.  He's noticed that no matter how hard Regina tries to stop them, she and her charming friend keep finding ways to be together.  He suggests, "If you want to inflict pain... then you must inflict pain. If something tragic were to happen to David's wife and if Mary Margaret should take the blame... {Regina interjects- "She'd be ruined." } and you'd have your victory- at last."
Regina thinks a trial could be very messy; but he didn't say anything about a trial.  Mr. Gold feels once Miss Blanchard is incarcerated Regina could plant one of her lovely skeleton keys in her cell, and when she tries to leave Storybrooke  "Well, we all know what happens to people who attempt to leave town..."
Regina asks him for one good reason why she should trust him.
Mr. Gold- "Because I always honor my agreements. Do we have a deal?" {He tosses her the red apple}


Young Regina is being cheered on by her father, Henry, as she rides on horseback jumping over a series of obstacles.  He finds her riding beautiful, while stern mother scoffs, hardly finding her riding beautiful. "You ride like a man. A lady should be graceful. You should use a saddle."   She also feels Regina is getting a little old to be having fun. "Who's going to marry you when you behave like a commoner?"  Father asks "Honey, please leave her alone."  But Mother tells him to "Stop coddling her! She's becoming an old maid. All the other girls her age are married. (humph) I had such high hopes.
The stable boy standing by holding a saddle asks "Milady- perhaps this saddle..."
Regina cuts him off stating she's done riding for the day.  She also reprimands the young man "And don't ever interrupt me and my mother again."  Mother is pleased by Regina's handling of the young man. The stable boy walks away with her horse, looking back at her- dejected.   Regina {Holding the reigns} ask mother "Why do you always have to criticize me?"
Mother- "I'm not criticizing you dear. I'm helping you."   Frustrated Regina walks away.  Angry mother uses magic to stop her daughter. "Don't you walk away from me!"   This traps Regina in a purple field of magic; lifting Regina high up off the ground.

Regina doesn't like it when mother uses magic.
Cora- "(humph) And I don't like insolence. I'll stop using magic when you start being an obedient daughter."
Regina-"Uh, Why can't I just be myself?"
Cora- "Oh, because you can be so much more... if you just let me help you."
Regina- "I don't care about status. I just wanna be... "  Cora raises Regina higher and magically wraps two belts around her; constraining her further.
Father, who stands by letting this abuse happen finally speaks. "Cora, please."
Now Regina is frightened and begs mother "Please. I'll be good."  Cora is pleased. "Excellent. That's all I wanted to hear."  Regina runs away from her to the stables.

Regina apologizes to Daniel for snapping at him.  Daniel feels it's alright; she'll just have to find some way to make it up to him.  They kiss!

TODAY

David (carrying a black umbrella) runs into (in a hurry and doesn't have time) Emma {Putting her hair into a ponytail} outside of Granny's.  David asks her how Mary Margaret's doing.  He realized Mary Margaret misunderstood him; that she thinks he thinks she's guilty, but he wants her to know he doesn't think she's guilty.  David feels it's this situation; it's been confusing and horrible for everyone. "Emma, I don't think she's guilty.  I need her to know that. Can I see her?"   Emma shares that Mary Margaret doesn't want to visitors.  David realizes she may not want to see him.  Emma knows David's heart is in the right place "But the last thing she needs is words of encouragement from you."  {WTF?! Of course she would like that that!}  David asks "What does she need?"
Emma- "A miracle."   Emma gets in her bug and drives off.

Mary Margaret is sleeping on her cot in her jail cell; she bolts awake to see Regina sitting there quietly waiting for her to wake up.
Regina- "They say only the guilty sleep in prison."  She tells Mary Margaret that Emma hasn't arrived yet. Regina stopped by to offer Mary Margareta chance to spare herself and the town the messiness of a trial. "The chance to confess."
Mary Margaret insists she didn't kill Kathryn and doesn't understand why no one will believe her.
Regina rehashes that the murder weapon was found in Mary Margaret's apartment and her fingerprint was on the box containing Kathryn's heart. "Shall I go on. Why not, for once, make it easier on everyone? Because confession or not... you're leaving Storybrooke"
Mary Margaret- "And you like that. Why? Why do you take such pleasure in this? What did I ever do to you to make you hate me so much?"
As Regina takes a breath, to seemingly answer her, the scene switches to Regina horseback riding (with a saddle) in Fairy Tale Land.
Regina meets up with Daniel by a pine tree and they kiss.  Daniel suggests a ride up to Firefly Hill "Make it by sundown, have a picnic."   Regina can't. "I have to be back in an hour.  A Lady never misses her tea time."   David is frustrated that they have to steal kisses between lunch and tea. "When are you gonna tell your parents about us?"
Regina- "It's not my parents.  It's her."
Daniel- "I don't understand.  So I work in the stables.  She started out as the daughter of a miller. Wouldn't she of all people understand?"
Regina- "She does. But she thinks one's trajectory needs to keep moving up and..."
Daniel- "And I'm down." 
Regina- "She believes that, Daniel. I know better."
Daniel wants Regina to tell her. "She'll get over it.  But Regina won't because she fears her magic.
Daniel- "Who cares about magic?  True love is the most powerful magic of all. It can overcome anything."  Just then a frantic little girls calls out for someone to please help her.
Regina- "Shhh. Someone's here."  They see the frightened little girl on a runaway horse that won't slow down.  Regina doesn't hesitate one second and jumps on her horse and takes off after the runaway horse.
Regina saves the little girl; pulling her off the speeding horse. "It's okay, Dear. You're safe."
The little girl with flowers in her hair realizes this woman saved her life.  She's alright, but she'll never ride again.  Nurturing Regina tells her "Nonsense.  The only way to overcome fear is to face it. To get back on that horse as soon as possible."  The little girl thanks her savior, Regina. This little girl is Snow White.

Mary Margaret sits in her cell while Emma and Mr. Gold chat about the D.A. wanting a pretrial interview with the prosecution.  She wants him to explain why this is a good idea.  Emma feels Mary Margaret is done answering questions.  And asks why are they kissing up to the D.A.; they should be going after Regina for setting up Mary Margaret.   Mr. Gold asks "And what proof do we have of that, sheriff?  Just because you found the Mayor's skeleton key in the cell doesn't mean that she put it there."  He believes their best chance of winning this is case is to employ their most valuable asset.  Mary Margaret asks "What's that?"
Mr. Gold- "Well, that's you, dear. A sweet, kind, elementary schoolteacher, doesn't exactly fit the prototype of a killer, now, does it?"
Emma wonders "That's how you're gonna get her acquitted? By using her personality?"
Mr. Gold- "Perception is everything, Miss Swan, not just in the courtroom- but in life. As such as you could imagine how the jury would perceive Miss Blanchard if she agreed to cooperate with the District Attorney, these things engender trust, showing the jury that she's at least trying.  Sidney walks in with a vase of tulips to brighten the place up.  Emma hurries into her office to talk with him.

Emma quietly asks Sidney "What did you find?"   He didn't find anything; he tried, he really did.  Sidney says he looked into her phone records "I talked to the people at the TOLL BRIDGE. But look, what can I say, Regina knows how to cover up her tracks."   Emma asks if he found anything connecting her to the murder weapon. But as far as Sidney can tell "She never bought or owned a hunting knife."  He tells her not to worry, as he will keep digging and won't stop until he finds something.

After conferring with Mr. Gold, Mary Margaret informs Emma she's agreed to talk to the D.A. feeling Mr. Gold is right; she knows she has nothing to hide, but no one else does. "I need to let people see me for who I am."
A voice from behind them says "Excellent decision, Miss Blanchard.  My name is Spencer. I'm the District Attorney. Shall we begin?"   Of course, Regina is right there with him.

The D.A. begins the questioning that progressively gets very intense, while Emma and focused Regina watch through a Looking Glass- a 2 way mirror.
The D.A.- "After she learned about your affair, Mrs. Nolan, the deceased, came to your school to confront you.  Is that correct?"
Compassionate and sincere Mary Margaret replies, "She was hurt. She felt betrayed."
The D.A. - "She struck you- in the face, was it?"
Mary Margaret- "Yes, but..."
D.A.- "That must have made you angry."
Mr Gold tells Mary Margaret she doesn't have to answer that.
Mary Margaret- "No, it's okay. I was not angry. I was sorry for all the pain I had caused her.
D.A.- (Smirky breath) "Miss Blanchard, this is  not a courtroom.  I'm not here to judge you. You can be honest with me."
Mr. Gold is concerned- "Should we end this?"
Mary Margaret- "I am being honest."
The D.A. - "The wife of the man you loved humiliated you in a public forum. Surely you must have felt some anger towards Kathryn."
Mary Margaret- "Yes, I was angry..."
D.A.- "And did you ever think about acting upon that anger?"
Mary Margaret (getting a bit worked up)- "Of course not."
The D.A.- "I have a hard time believing that."
Mary Margaret- "Wh- Why?"
The D.A.- "Because you wanted Kathryn Nolan gone."
Upset Mary Margaret- "I never said that. I..."
Mr. Gold- "All right. My client is answering no more questions for the day."
The D.A.- "Your client agreed to this interview because she claims she had nothing to hide."
Mary Margaret- "I don't have anything to hide!"
The D.A.- "Then what is your answer? You wanted Kathryn gone, didn't you?"
Mary Margaret- "NO!"
The D.A.- "Even after she tried to keep you and David apart? After she slapped you in public. After she made you a pariah in your own town?"  {He shows her the photo of the vehicle with the word TRAMP}
Completely intimidated Mary Margaret answers out of her frustration. "Yes, of course I wanted her gone! She was the only thing keeping us apart- so yeah, I wanted her gone! Is that what you want to hear?"
The D.A. and Regina are very pleased, while Mary Margaret and Mr. Gold realize she shouldn't have answered that way.
We see Regina's very pleased reflection in the 2 way mirror- that leads us right into...

Regina is primping herself in the mirror.  Displeased mother sees Regina "No. This won't do." and magically transforms Regina's look into a beautiful gown.  Cora excitedly tells her "We have a guest. And he'll be here any moment."  Regina says she can't, as she has a riding lesson with David to get to.  Conveniently mother canceled it. "Now smile. We don't want to disappoint him."  Happy Cora tells her the King is coming because Regina finally did something right. "That little girl you saved- is the King's daughter.

The King enters with three Knights and Regina's father Henry.  He seems a bit mesmerized. "Is that her?"
Henry introduces them. "Yes. Regina, honey. This is Snow White's father."   The two women bow to the King.  But the King interrupts their bow.  "No. It is I who should bow to you. You saved my daughter's life.  There is no way to repay that debt.  It is an honor to meet you."   He bows before her and Regina just stands there, a bit stunned.
Cora- "Regina, dear. The King is honored to meet you- say something."
Regina snaps out of it. "Oh. The honor is mine."   The King tells Regina "You're quite lucky to have a mother who looks out for you.  My dear Snow has many things, but a mother is not one of them. (He looks directly at Cora) We lost her years ago."   Regina is so sorry.  The King shares that since then he has scoured the land looking for a wife.  He's yet to find a woman with an interest in his daughter- until now.  He kneels down, presents her with a ring and asks "Will you marry me, Regina?"  Henry shakes his head 'no', while Cora answers for surprised Regina. "Yes. Yes."

Frantic Regina hurries to see Daniel in the stables throws her arms around him and says "Marry me."  He wonders if she's told her mother about them.  Frightened and crying Regina says 'no'.  She can never tell her, she'd never understand.  She shares the news of what happened with the King and suggests the only way out of this is to run.  "For us to leave this place, for us to be married, for us to never come back."
Daniel tries to make her understand what that would mean. "Life with a stable boy is a far cry from a life as a Queen."  To Regina life as Queen means nothing. "Daniel, all I care about is you."   Daniel will do this properly.  He takes a gold twisted band from a saddle and puts the ring on her ring-less finger and says "Here."  Regina is happy and they kiss to seal the deal.  A thud is heard!  It is shocked Snow, standing at the doorway.

Regina asks "Snow. Dear. What are you doing?"   Teary eyed Snow dropped her little saddle. "You said to get back on the horse and... What are you doing with him?"   Regina can explain, but the disappointed little girl runs off.  This panics Regina and she runs off after her into the cold night.

Little Snow falls and Regina catches up to her.  Little crying Snow claims she's not okay and asks Regina why she was kissing that man in the stables. "You're to marry my father, you're to be my mother."  Regina is very tender and caring to little Snow; being understanding to Snow's disappointment.  She explains Snow's father, King Leopold is a kind and fair man, but she doesn't love him.  Snow doesn't understand "Why not?"
Regina tells her love doesn't work that way. Love... True love... is magic. And not just any magic, but the most powerful magic of all. It creates happiness."
Snow- "And that man in the stables... you love him."
Regina replies "With all m heart."   Understanding and respecting Regina's love for that man, Snow tells her "Then you must marry him. I will go tell father right away."  But fearful Regina stops her.  Snow feels her father will understand.  Regina says her mother won't; she'll stand in the way.  Snow understands that's why Regina is running.  Regina feels that's the only way their love can survive. "Snow. Do you know what a secret is? If you really truly want to help me (excited Snow does) then what you saw, what I told you... you must keep it a secret. Can you do that?"
Snow- "I think so."
Regina- "I need you to be certain. You can never speak of this.  And above all you mustn't tell my mother. Will you do that for me?"
Snow- "Yes. (whispers) I promise."  They hug.

Emma sits at the dock looking through the fairy tale book. It is wet and gloomy outside.  August meets up with her, asking what she's doing.  Emma is grasping at straws.  August hands her the newspaper and wonders "Still trying to find a way to prove your friend's been framed?"  Emma feels "Every time I go down a path I think leads somewhere it leads to a dead end.   I used to think I had these great... instincts, superpower, ah, I don't know." {Yeah, Emma, you don't!}   To August it sounds like Emma's got a case of writers block. "Only without the whole writing part."  He goes on to tell her "You know when I get struck by a block I usually reread what I've done rather than plow ahead blindly. Sometimes I find maybe a little nugget of inspiration left behind."
Emma- "You mean start over?"
August- "I mean, when I start writing, I usually have one idea, and then in the middle I may get another idea, and things are different."
Emma- "So your perspective changes."
August- "Exactly. When you started this investigation what was it about?"
Emma- "A missing person."
August- "Then it became a murder and then a cover up. If you knew that then,  maybe you would have  approached things differently."
Newly inspired Emma gets to leave.  August asks "Where are you going?"  Emma is going back to the scene of the crime. August offers to drive because she hasn't slept in days and, if they're honest, he seems proud that it was his idea.  Emma leaves the paper behind.

August drives them on his motorcycle (Plate 23). The cross over the TrOLL BRIDGE.

As they make their way down the little embankment to the shore where Ruby found the box with the heart in it, August winces out complaining he gets shin splints.  Emma asks what's wrong and offers to take a look at it but he'd rather just walk it off.   Emma looks around the scene.  August says he's sorry to her, as it this must be hard on her. Emma thinks that's an understatement.
August- "I don't know you that well. But it seems to me that aside from Henry, Mary Margaret the closest thing to family you got. It's okay to admit it."
Emma doesn't acknowledge his comment, she only has him take a look at a piece of evidence she's found in the damp sand.  He takes it and asks what it is.  Emma replies "It's a shard- from a shovel. Must've broken off when it hit a rock. If we can find he shovel that it broke off of we can prove that Mary Margaret didn't bury the heart. We can prove that she's innocent."  August, knowing exactly where Emma is going with her clue connection, knows that Emma is thinking she knows exactly whose shovel she thinks it is.

Regina peeks in on sleeping Henry. {Note items on bookshelves, back of door, walls, et.} But Henry was make-believe sleeping, and as soon as Regina closes the door Henry grabs his walki from under his pillow and listens to be sure Regina is taking a shower.  He radios Emma; speaking code. "The eagle is in the nest and the package is secure."
Emma left the code book at home so Henry translates his simple code phrase for the simple sheriff. "She's getting into the shower and the keys are under the mat."
So Emma finds the key and opens the door.  She whispers warning August not to touch a thing. To which he shows her he's already wearing gloves.
They dynamic duo head into the garage-like storage room and they look around in the dark with only their flashlights to light the way.  We see a shovel leaning against the wall and door jam, while the duo looks around.  Emma spots another shovel with a missing piece.  She puts the found piece of shovel onto the broken spot and it fits. Emma is excited. "We got her."    August seems happy for her.

Little Snow White is admiring the beautiful and delicate orchids.  She reaches to touch one and is interrupted by Cora, who sweetly warns Sweetheart to be careful. "Flowers are a delicate thing.  Be gentle. You want it grow and not pluck it before its time."   Snow says "Sorry."  

Cora gives a light chuckle and tells her it's alright. "You needn't fear me. I'm only trying to help. Perhaps you can be the flower girl at the wedding.  I can already see how close you and Regina have become.  She's going to make a fine mother for you."
Snow- "She is kind to me."
Cora- "Indeed. I warms my heart how you two share everything... already. Perhaps you can share something with me.  {seeming genuine} Why has she pulled away from me?"
Snow asks what she means. Cora tells her a mother knows her daughter "Regina's pulled away. I love my daughter so much, but she's not letting me help her and I, I know she's unhappy. Has she said something? I'd do anything to make her happy."
Snow believes her. "You'd do anything?"
Cora- "Of course, dear. You know talked to the King about your mother.  He told me how much she loved you. Losing her must have been... so hard.  {Snow says "It was."} Hearing him I realized he might as well been talking about me and Regina. I don't want us to lose each other.  Hopefully I can show her how I feel- that no matter what all I want is her happiness."

Caring about Regina's happiness as well, Snow tells Cora not to make her marry her father.
Cora- "I'm sorry."
Honest Snow gets emotional telling Cora, "She doesn't love my father. She loves someone else. She made me promise not to tell. But she'll lose you. She can't lose her mother. No one should. "
Cora strokes Snow's hair, "Oh, sweet Snow. It's alright. She won't lose me. You can tell me. You must tell me."

Emma shows up at Regina's asking her to unlock the garage for her; she has a search warrant that says Regina has to.  Regina asks "On what grounds?"  Emma presents the evidence she found near where the heart was buried; figured whoever buried it may have left something behind. "Then I got an anonymous call from someone who said they saw you digging near the Toll Bridge the day the heart way found."

Regina prods "An anonymous call?"
Emma- "Yeah, well, I can't control the fact they didn't leave a name. I suppose they didn't want to risk pissing you off.
Regina- "Hmm"
Emma tells her to do or she'll find a way to do it herself.

Regina and Emma enter the garage where Emma discovers an intact shovel in place of the one with the missing piece. She accuses Regina of knowing she was coming and asks why she's doing this to Mary Margaret whom is a good person who doesn't deserve this.  Regina feels Miss Blanchard is a liar and a murderer. No matter what accusations Emma throws her way- that won't change. "She's going to pay for what she's done. That woman has destroyed the last life she is ever going to destroy."

Frantic Emma bangs (5x) on door #2.  This is August's room. Emma wants to know how he could do this and how could he do this to her, to Mary Margaret    August tells her "Whoa.  Slow down. Do what?"
Emma informs him the shovel was gone when she got there; Regina knew she was coming for it.  August seems stunned thinking he told Regina.  As he's the only other person who knew about it.
August- "I would hope that you would have enough faith to know that I would never betray you." {Wood}
Emma- "Why should I? How do I know you're not lying about this, about everything?"
This strikes a chord with him, and stone-faced he replies "I'm not a liar."
Emma feels that's exactly what a liar would say.


Arrogant Regina enters the Sheriff's office to find Mary Margaret crying in her cell.   Regina, taunting Mary Margaret, wanted to see her while she could. That means, simply, that the trial starts tomorrow and it won't be a long one.  "And you'll be sent out of Storybrooke for good and I will never have to see you again. (Ahh) I want to enjoy this while I can."   Teary eyed Mary Margaret asks "Enjoy what?"
Regina- "Justice."
Mary Margaret- "Justice? Watching an innocent suffer?"
Regina continues to provoke Mary Margaret from the other side of the cell bars. "You've always seen yourself that way, haven't you? Innocent." 
Mary Margaret is very upset and sobbing "I am innocent. I don't know what this is about. I don't know what I ever did to you but whatever it was, Regina... I am sorry. I truly am."
Gloating Regina relishes seeing the prisoner so desperate. "Apology not accepted."
Devastated Mary Margaret begs for Regina to stop, feeling she doesn't deserve this. "I did not kill Kathryn!"
Audacious Regina strokes Mary Margaret's cheek through the bar "Oh, I know."  This revelation stops Mary Margaret's crying.  Regina grabs Mary Margaret face and tells her "But you do deserve this."  She just walks out.


Regina has packed a bag and runs to the stable to meet up with Daniel.  They're excited.  Daniel asks "Are you ready?"   {It is a cold night.}
Regina- "Let's go."  They are met by pissed off Cora just outside the stable. "You could have at least left a note."  Magically, she flings them back into the stable; where she also magically appears inside the doors. The doors magically close and lock behind her. Regina tries to speak to her mother, but mother says "Don't. You sneak out of my house in the dead of night and think I won't notice. How dare you?"
Daniel helps Regina to her feet while Regina tells her mother "You're impossible to talk to. Stop with the magic and listen to me... I want to be with Daniel."
Cora- "Oh you don't know what you want. But I do. I didn't make the sacrifices I did in life I did to get you to the cusp of greatness so that you can end up the wife of a stable boy."
Regina- "It's my life!"
Cora laughs. "You foolish girl. It's mine. After what I had to do- the deals I had to make to get us out of poverty, to get us this life, and you just want to toss it away."
Daniel encourages Regina to stay strong.
Regina- "Your magic can't keep us apart. I love him."
Daniel- "And I  her."
Cora "And I love her too."
Regina- "If you loved me you wouldn't try to keep us apart."
Cora- "And if you loved me you wouldn't try to run away."
Regina tries to stand her ground- "I'm sorry, but this is my happiness. We're going."
Cora raises her left magical hand to stop them. "No... you're not."
Regina- "So, what's your plan? You're going to keep us forever? Because that's what you'll have to do."
Cora quiets for a moment looking at the couple and then asks Regina "So, this is... your decision? This will make you happy?"
Regina- "It already has."
Cora quietly says "Then who am I to stop you?"  Grateful Regina hugs her mother and thanks her.  Cora walks over to speak to Daniel; he is welcoming and she seems sincere. Cora tells him if you want to have a life together, a family... "then there's one important lesson I can impart on you. It's what it means to be a parent. You always have to do what's best for your children."
Daniel- "Thank you. I understand. Because that's what you're doing now."
Cora- "Yes, it is."  She plunges her hand into his chest and rips out his red glowing heart; crushing it until it turns to ash or dirt or whatever.

Regina is devastated. "Mother! Why have you done this?!"
Cora- "Because this is your happy ending. Oh, you have to trust me, Regina. I know best. Love is weakness, Regina. It feels real now, at the start it always does. But it's an illusion- it fades. And then you're left with nothing... but power... true power endures.  And then you don't have to rely on anyone to get what you want. I've saved you, my love."
Regina- "You've ruined everything. I loved him. I loved him!"
Cora yells "Enough! I've endured this long enough. Now clean yourself up. Wipe away your tears. Because now you're going to be Queen."

Regina readies for her wedding.  Happy little Snow walks in and sees Regina in her wedding gown. {Note Snow wears the color gray} Snow White feels Regina is most certainly the fairest of them all.  Numb Regina is disconnected from the little girl but thanks her all the same.  Snow hopes for her own wedding day she will be as beautiful.  Regina's sure she will be. Snow knows Regina and Daniel will be so happy together.
Regina- "What?!"
Snow- "Well, I just knew your mother would let you marry him. Once she knew how happy he'd make you. Once she knew how much you love him. You have such a wonderful mother. She would do anything for your happiness."
Regina asks Snow "Did you... tell her.... about me and Daniel?"
Snow- "Yes."
Regina is getting worked up. "But I told you very specifically not to."  Snow realizes her telling may have been a mistake and starts to tear up.  "I'm sorry. I just didn't want you to lose your mother- like I've lost mine."  Regina is visibly distressed.  Snow asks "Are you mad?"
Regina snaps out of whatever "state" she was in and turns to the girl kindly telling her "No. I'm not mad at all. You were just trying to help me. {Snow nods 'yes'} However, I'm not marrying Daniel. This dress is for your father."  This confuses Snow, as she thought Regina was in love.
Regina- "So did I.  But I was wrong. Daniel has run away. What I had with Daniel wasn't real. It was an infatuation. You see that's the thing about love. It can come in the most unexpected places.  Your father and I have something even more special. Because it's not just about the two of us- it's about all of us.
We're going to be a family. ... That's right. I'm going to be your stepmother and I couldn't be happier."
Snow is happy and the girls hug.  They are interrupted by Cora, telling Snow she has to go to her room and help with the packing. "Your father wants you ready for the journey  and we're heading for your castle first thing in the morning."
Snow feels they're (mother and daughter) are going to love it there. Cora knows they will.  Snow leaves the women.
Cora tells her daughter "Well played, my dear. You're learning."
Regina- "I should change. I wouldn't want to ruin the dress before my big day."
Cora- "I am so proud of you."
Regina seems to have a revelation and asks Cora "You knew the King was traveling through our land, didn't you?  That steed with Snow on it didn't go wild on its own, did it?"
Cora- "I have no idea what you're saying."
Regina has obviously changed. "I should've let her die on that horse."

In Storybrooke
Standing at the window Regina holds the twisted ring tightly and whispers "We got her, Daniel. We got her."

Mary Margaret is cuffed and is being escorted by two court officers.  Emma confronts Mr. Gold. "You told me you could fix this. That's why I came to you. So that you could make sure that Regina didn't win."
Mr. Gold- "She hasn't yet."
Emma- "Well, she's going to.  And now my friend is going to pay for me trusting you."
Mr. Gold- "Look Sheriff, I know this is emotional, but it's also not over. You must have faith, there's still time."
Emma- "Time for what?"
Mr. Gold- "Time for me to work a little magic."  He leaves.  Frustrated Emma has a fit and throws the vase filled with tulips against the file cabinet. She discovers among the wreckage that she's been bugged!

Emma meets up with August {putting on his gloves} outside of Granny's Diner.  She apologizes for doubting him; she made a mistake. She presents him the evidence that proves she's been trusting all the wrong people. "I should have listened to you. This bug is from Sidney."
August- "The newspaper guy?"  {No, Sydney, the city in Australia!}
Emma- 'I should've seen it."
August- "Well, don't beat yourself up about it, Emma.  Sometimes it's hard to see what's right in front of us. But I knew you would."
Emma-"I'm trying."
Suddenly they hear a scream!  It's Ruby; she's freaked out, claiming "She's in the alley."
Emma runs back there turns over the body to find Kathryn awake on the ground; looking like a bag lady, I might add.