Second Star to the Right

“Everything in life has its price.” ― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

 

Slip inside the eye of your mind- Don't you know you might find a better place to play

Crossroads in Storybrooke: Second and Main.  Oh, the places you could go if you had no borders and knew no bounds and didn't use a map, a place where you would be free of time and space.  We sort of do that while escaped in our dreaming mind.  If you were free to fly anywhere, where would your imagination, the wind or the path of the stars lead you?

Greg's quest to find the father he left behind in Storybrooke also got him involved with some sort of secret organization whose mission it is to rid that world of magic.  I wonder how he got involved with those people. Greg claims they/the home office, wouldn't have even known about that town if it weren't for his father. But it is important to keep in mind that although Kurt was following a map and ended up kidnapped by Regina, Greg/Owen is the one who discovered Storybrooke from atop the hill in the episode Welcome to Storybrooke.

I'm hesitant to just accept that Greg found his father's bones at the campsite.  Sure, you're wondering how I could be in denial after we just witnessed the excavation, but I've learned that things aren't always what they seem.  I mean, Kurt wasn't the only person wearing reddish attire back then. (See photo below). OK, it very well could be Kurt's remains, but how would Regina know about Owen and Kurt's specific campsite?  I also found it interesting that the rendezvous point for Greg and Tamara is his same exact childhood campsite.  It's all a little suspicious.

The misery I know, like a friend that won't let go, is creeping up on me now once again

Emma and some of the people she is on this journey with are, in a way, trapped in the past. They are burdened with pain, guilt and other emotions that have left them feeling lonely (among other feelings).  Deep down they still cry tears of their own childhood abandonment issues and subsequent adult choices. They keep parts of themselves hidden away. They are searching inside themselves as well as for others. They are looking for a way to move past those old pains, but whenever there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel some major challenge presents itself and it usually looks eerily similar to shadows of the past - ghosts of days gone by. Which things, habits, people and emotions do we hold on to and which ones are we supposed to let go of?  

Bae still lives with the shadow of his past not only when "Neal" experiences his father  Gold/Rumple/Dark One's display the whole "Kiss my boot" act a second time, but also in the Flash when he exits the portal into Victorian England. Let's note that we're led to believe this is directly when Bae originally leaves his father via the magic bean portal, but I'm curious... Of course he'd end up in a different place, yes, but there seems to be a "time" different for him as well when he lands in Victorian Kensington Gardens.

Does magic follow Bae? He wanted to go to a land without magic, yet there is magic right there in Kensington Gardens- most likely because of Bae; because he has magic. We see Bae ends up selflessly giving (sacrificing) himself to the Shadow for the Darling family.

Now on to The Shadow:  Peter Pan's shadow appears in the literary version of the story, but this Shadow here is something very different. It seemed more like a Wraith for children. Why take children away to an island only to ultimately keep them prisoner and break their hearts by not allowing them to go home to their families? Who could be so selfish and cruel? What is the true motivation for this deed?  Is it what we assume it is?  Is it purely for selfish reasons? Are the children being taken for protection from something or someone? Are they being taken to find that "special one" for a specific purpose? Could the kidnapper be someone like Rumple/the Dark One on a quest looking for his son?

Bae wanted to live in a land without magic- Greg and Tamara want to destroy magic- those are emotions of people who don't want magic in and around their lives, but guess what... it is all around, and for some, it lives right inside of them.

I do want to note that not seeing what is right in front of your own eyes can be hazardous to your health. Neal didn't see who his fiancée really was; he was blinded by the idea of being in love and she was able to con him. Who else isn't seeing things for what they really are?

On to ... "The Home Office" - is it a "secret organization" like the DHARMA Initiative? Let's revisit
Mysteries of the Universe: The Dharma Initiative.  Maybe it's Mittelos Bioscience or The Hanso Foundation or some other mysterious organization that's tied to the/an island.  I guess we have to see what Tamara and Greg's "Home Office" is all about.

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

๑  If Tamara didn't break into Regina's office specifically for the magic beans, why did she break in, was it just for the Regina kidnapping?
๑  Not attached to a body. Out of body experience. Change its shape, fly and travel between worlds
๑  Window. Glass. Portal. Being watched
๑  Sleep.  Dream. Wake up
๑  Time and Space
๑  Flashes
๑  Believe
๑  Gold puts a diamond necklace on Belle in The Crocodile
๑  Jacks on the windowsill
๑  Neal's scarf looks a bit similar to Henry's
๑  Senses: See. Hear. Smell
๑  Dark. Light
๑  Fire. Flame. Torch. Light
๑  Shadow- dark
๑  Diamond
๑  Greenhouse. Garden.= Plant a seed and nurture it to maturity.
๑  Security System
๑  Electrical current that runs through the entire body
๑  Machines, computers, monitors
๑  Direction
๑  Games
๑  Mother Superior
๑  Canning is a way to preserve things.

Vocabulary and Research...

๑ Eye: Spiritual insight, as in ’the eyes are the windows to soul.’ Eyes symbolize perceptiveness, personal outlook, clairvoyance, curiosity, and knowledge. They also reveal information about personal identity and suggest to the dreamer what he should pay attention to. Closed eyes are said to represent fear and an unwillingness to see clearly.
๑ Windows: A Window symbolizes Freedom, a passage to and from an enclosed space into the vast expanse of the world. Windows symbolize passage where light, air, sounds, knowledge, objects etc., may pass through, coming and going.
The soul has a window, the mind. 1. A general symbol for the need to see through something that is clouding the dreamer’s life. 2. A broken window hints at a change in the dreamer’s living circumstances. 3. The state or type of the window is an important clue.
Open windows are a sign of welcome; closed windows a sign of cut-off communications. Bay windows are a sign of success and good fortune, while storm windows indicate trouble ahead. Windows: dreamer is being watched or watching someone else.  Opening, Opportunity, Feelings of being watched, Need for privacy.
Some Dream Interpretations- To see windows in your dream signifies bright hopes, vast possibilities and insight. To dream that you are looking out the window signifies your outlook on life, your consciousness, point of view, awareness, and intuition. You may be reflecting on a decision and seeking guidance. If you are looking in the window then it indicates that you are doing some soul searching and looking within yourself. To see shut windows in your dream, signifies desertion and abandonment. To see shattered and broken windows denotes misery and disloyalty.  To see a tinted window in your dream represents you need for privacy and your ways of getting it. You are keeping aspects of yourself hidden or that you want to remain ambiguous.
๑ Kensington Gardens: once the private gardens of Kensington Palace, is one of the Royal Parks of London lying immediately to the west of Hyde Park.
- The park is the setting of J.M. Barrie's book Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, a prelude to the character's famous adventures in Neverland. The fairies of the gardens are first described in Thomas Tickell's 1722 poem Kensington Gardens. Both the book and the character are honored with the Peter Pan statue located in the park.
- The Infocom interactive fiction game Trinity begins in the Kensington Gardens.
- The park is a prominent aspect of the short horror novel The Beast by Ashley McClung
๑ Sardines: a "Tag" type of child's game.
one person hides while the remainder (2) all count to a specified number (50). Once this number is reached, the remaining (2) people spread out in search of the person who has hidden. As players find the hider, they must join the hider in the hiding place. Eventually the hiding place is likely to become obvious because of the number of hiding players. The last person to discover the hiding place must hide in the next round. This game is sometimes played in the dark (wear black clothing), increasing the number of reasonable hiding places.
๑ The Milgram experiment on obedience to authority figures was a series of social psychology experiments conducted by Yale University psychologist Stanley Milgram
๑ Jacks or Knucklebones, is a game of very ancient origin, played with usually five small objects, originally the "knucklebones" (actually the astragalus: a bone in the ankle, or hock of a sheep, which are thrown up and caught in various ways. Modern knucklebones consist of six points, or knobs, proceeding from a common base, and are usually made of metal or plastic. The winner is the first player to successfully complete a prescribed series of throws. There are many different named challenges in this game.
AKA: astragaloi, hucklebones, dibs, dibstones, jackstones, chuckstones, five-stones jackrocks, onesies, jax, kugelach, batu seremban, or snobs.
๑ Oliver Twist, subtitled The Parish Boy's Progress, is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens. The story is about an orphan, Oliver Twist, who endures a miserable existence in a workhouse and then is placed with an undertaker. He escapes and travels to London where he meets the Artful Dodger, leader of a gang of juvenile pickpockets. Naively unaware of their unlawful activities, Oliver is led to the lair of their elderly criminal trainer Fagin.

๑ Bae, also often spelled Pae or Pai, is a unique Korean family name


 ✔ Golden LOST Thread Woven into the Tapestry of this Tale

✈  On LOST Dr. Bae delivered Ji Yeon
✈  Claire's mother was a librarian. Par Avion
✈  Richard Alpert wanted to live forever and asked Jacob to fulfill this request in Ab Aeterno
✈  "... moved to the next stage"- Enter 7 7
✈  "I/We/You have work to do", is said by more than a few characters

✈  Eye
✈  Time and Space
✈  Beach. Island
✈  Doc
✈  MacCutcheon Whiskey
✈  Dark. Light
✈  Set a trap.  Game: Mouse Trap-  Deus Ex Machina
✈  Fire. Flame. Light
✈  Shadow- dark
✈ Greenhouse- The Orchid Station
✈ Security System: The Black Smoke (some call it the monster) was known to be a security system-

• Danielle tells Sayid "there's no such thing as monsters" when noting the Monster/security system sound in Solitary, and she tells Jack the security system's purpose is to protect something in Exodus part 1
• Hurley claims its a security system that eats people in Exodus part 2
• Danielle's Robert tells pregnant Danielle its not a monster, it's a security system that's guarding the Temple, in This Place is Death
• We note "security system in Numbers
• In Par Avion, Sayid note the triggers on the sides of the pylons of the "security perimeter"

✈  Further Instructions and ?
✈  4  8
✈  8:15
✈  Machines, computers, monitors
✈  Portal
✈  Levels
✈  Direction
✈  Flashes
✈  Michael tells Jack and John that the computer isn't what they think, in "The Hunting Party" 
✈  Electrical current that runs through the entire body
✈  Torture:
      - Sayid was strapped to a table and tortured/tested with electric shock by Dogen in "What Kate Does"
      - Sayid was a torturer. As a Communications Officer, he "tortured" people in the Military for Intel. He also tortures Sawyer when trying to get him to tell where Shannon's asthma medicine is in Confidence Man.
✈ Desmond was subjected to "electromagnetism" in "Happily Ever After".  He was also subjected to this type of event when he turned the failsafe key below the Swan Station in "Live Together, Die Alone".  The Castaways were also subjected to an "electromagnetism" event of sorts, when Locke and Desmond wait for the timer to countdown and Eko want to blow up the Swan Hatch.
✈  Jack
✈  Sleep. Dream.Wake up.
✈  Believe
✈  Skull (Skeleton)
✈  Remains
✈  Coincidence- Fate
✈  The Incident- Sawyer holds on to Juliet when the hatch incident is unfolding
✈ The Shape of Things to Come- Claire got her "bell" rung when the barrack house she's in blows up.
Ben tells Miles "..."Cause every single one of my people is prepared to die in service to this island."
✈ "A Tale of Two Cities"-  Henry Gale/Ben Linus tells prisoner Kate that "the next two weeks are going to get very unpleasant"
He's Our You- Sayid's Flash "I don't want any part of this. And if I see you again, it will be extremely unpleasant for us both.
 This Place is Death-  Sayid's Flash on the pier claiming to not want any part of this, "And if I see you or you (Ben and Jack), it will be extremely unpleasant for all of us."
✈  Diamond
✈ Jack asked Kate if she's got his back; and of course, she does.
✈ Live Together, Die Alone: Desmond gets himself in shape by running the steps at the stadium, where he meets Jack. His goal is to get in the best shape of his life so he can enter Widmore's race. And of course- The FAILSAFE key/Trigger.

Reflections of LOST

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

The intense greenish flickers of light and the thunderous atmosphere seems to drop Bae to the ground. We're to believe this is where Bae ends up when he uses the magic bean he received from the Blue Fairy to send him and Rumple/the Dark One, to a place without magic. Standing on the path, Bae realizes his Papa didn't take the leap of faith with him. Bae is commanded "Out of the road" by a man driving a horse and buggy. Then- Bae notices a sign...

"What is this place?" Bae wonders. He sees lamp posts and Victorian people crossing the road ahead of him, and then is startled by the toll of a bell.  He's in Victorian London, England.

Six Months Later:

Bae, looking very Oliver Twist, is lost, broken and scavenging for food, when he sees an open window across the road.  {Note: apple core, wheel on the wagon, ladder, open window, baby carriage, T. Jellicoe cart, etc.}

Bae lets himself in via the window and looks at the interior of beautiful huge Victorian home. He helps himself to the bread {Three Loaves. Four Teacups.} that is set out on the table, when he's discovered by a large Saint Bernard dog. The dog's bark alerts a young girl named Wendy Darling. 

She runs in and arms herself with a statue of a lady, but Bae assures her he doesn't mean any harm. She is compassionate to the poor boy's hungry situation and offers him as much bread as he'd like.

Neal is awakened at 6 AM by Tamara getting ready to go out for her run; she's training for a marathon that is happening in three weeks. Neal wants to just sleep in for once. She leaves and Neal tries to go back to sleep by is startled by voices he hears outside.

Outside of the Rabbit Hole, Mr. Gold has Dr. Whale on the ground and is demanding Whale kiss his boot.  Whale claims he didn't do anything.
"You stared at her (Lacey) and I know how you think- So kiss... my... boot," Gold commands.
The confrontation is interrupted by Bae, who lets Whale go. "I'm surprised you didn't turn him into a snail," Neal remarks to his father.   Realizing Lacey is amused by Neal's snail comment, Mr. Gold gives Lacey keys so she can go wait for him in the shop.  With Lacey now on her way, Neal feels his father is unreal. "You spent years looking for me, I come to town and you disappear. You haven't even bothered to meet Tamara."
Gold won't concern himself with her; even though Neal claims they are getting married, Gold knows it's never going to last- not while Neal carries a torch for Emma.  Neal decides his father hasn't changed one bit, "For a second I thought you might have. I started to think that maybe you're worth my time. I guess I was wrong."
"And yet you're still here!" yells Mr. Gold. Neal clarifies as he begins to walk away, "It's for Henry. Not you. As far as I'm concerned you can stay the hell away from both of us."  You can see this affects Mr. Gold.

Armed and ready, Emma and her father David/Prince Charming, barge into Regina's Mayoral office to find Regina's not there.  Mary Margaret safely enters with Henry.  Concerned Henry asks Emma, "When you find her, you're not gonna hurt her, are you?"
Emma says "No. We just want the beans she stole from us."  Curious, they wonder why Regina would leave her office unlocked especially while keeping the beans there.  But the beans in the miniature greenhouse are gone. Emma sees that something's not right. "Regina would never leave evidence like this behind.  David wonders if she used them to portal out of Storybrooke already- but Emma doesn't think Regina would leave without Henry.

Emma reads the information on the Alarm panel. "The security system says the last time someone was in the office was six this morning. They used an override code to get in."   They all deduce someone other than Regina broke in and took the beans. Henry's concerned something bad has happened to Regina. But Emma promises him they'll find her.  They all also feel the one person who could overpower Regina is Gold.
"He's too busy with his new slash old girlfriend. No, this wasn't Gold... this was Tamara," Emma claims.
Mary Margaret seems a tad annoyed. "Haven't you already gone down that road?"
Emma thinks, "Maybe not far enough."  But mother nods her head and says, "Or... maybe it's time for you to let it go."
Emma's continues to fight her case. "August was attacked the day Tamara came to town. I don't think that was a coincidence."  David wonders if Emma's wrong and Regina's in trouble they just can't drop everything else because of a hunch."  Emma's not going to drop everything else; they'll go to Gold as she's sure he has some kind of magic that can help them locate Regina.  They all agree.
"Where are you going?" Mary Margaret asks Emma.
"Back to Tamara's room."

At the Storybrooke Cannery, Tamara tells Greg she was able to get into Regina's office, and shows him what she found there- a Magic Bean still in its pod.
"Are these what I think they are?" intrigued, Greg asks.
Tamara removes it from the pod. "Magic beans. Neal told me all about them. They open portals."
Betting Neal told Tamara a lot, Greg seems a bit jealous of Tamara's fake relationship with Neal. Tamara assures him that as soon as they're done, "This is coming off ." {The diamond engagement ring Neal gave her.}
Greg gives her a small pouch, "Yeah, well, you can have this one instead." {A huge dark color diamond.}  They don't know what it is, but Regina had it on her. Neal fiddles with wires on some old machines with little lights, dials, buttons and gages.
Unimpressed, Tamara will send it back with the rest of the data.
Tamara thinks the home office is going to have a field day with everything they've collected so far.  Tamara tells Greg to be quick with his next task, as they'll be getting their instructions soon.

Tied down to her torture table, tries to tell Hook that he doesn't know who he's working for.  But all he cares about and trusts is that they promised him his revenge on Rumple. {Although he does look a little concerned for a split moment.} Greg wheels in his electrical machine and bids Regina "Good morning..."  What he's about to do isn't part of his mission- it's personal- this is about his father. He connects electrical leads to Regina {Head, finger}. Although Regina claims he left town, Greg notes he never went to find his only son.  Hook won't lend Greg a hand because he only agreed to killing Rumple, not torturing the Queen. When Greg's ready for that he can find Hook.

Greg powers up the machines, sharing with Regina that she should be frightened. "Because this is how we deal with your kind. And yes... it's going to be unpleasant. Now, exactly how unpleasant... depends on you. Now... where is my father?"  And when Regina doesn't answer, Greg gives her a big jolt of juice!

Wendy taps on the tiny secret door where young Bae is hiding, to give him some food.  Wendy assures him that her parents don't suspect anything, "They're grownups, they can see anything's that's right in front of them."
"We can't, can we?"  There stands Wendy's parents.  "How long have you been hiding in my house?" Nervous Wendy reveals it's been a few weeks, but father wants to hear from the hiding boy.  When asked about his family, Bae shares that his mother died and his is dead too. He apologizes and offers to leave right away, but is stopped by Mrs. Darling. "You're not going anywhere. The streets are no place for a boy."   Bae begs, "Please don't send me to the workhouses."  Mrs. Darling tells the boy he'll stay there. "Welcome to our home." But Mr. Darling is stunned.

Emma shows up at Neal's to search his room - for real this time.  Neal shares that his fiancée is out on a run in the woods; training for a marathon. "What did she do this time?"  Emma shares Regina's missing. Neal insists Tamara is there to support him- she's not a kidnapper.
Emma asks "If she runs in the woods why does she track sand in here?"  Neal thinks maybe she likes to run along the beach instead. Emma feels that Tamara's lying and she must be lying about other things too. There's only one way to find out.

Wendy gazes out the closed window and then wakes Bae who is sleeping on the floor. "Psst. Psst. Hey. Come to the window."  The little brothers wake up excited and wonder if the shadow is coming tonight. Wendy hopes so. She tells Bae, a few weeks ago, right about the time he got there, "this shadow, it came to the window. Only its not attached to a body. And it can do so many wonderful things like, like change its shape and fly and travel between worlds. And do you know why? Because it has magic!"  Bae makes them promise they'll never open that window again and they won't talk to the shadow.  "Magic is dangerous. It always comes with a price."  John thinks he's just saying that because Bae doesn't believe. But Bae explains that's the point, that he does believe. He comes from another land and has seen magic. "A land where magic is everywhere."  Wendy wonders if that's really true, because it sounds wonderful.
"It isn't what you think," Bae whispers.  "Magic is the reason I left. I lost everything because of it."  Magic destroyed his family and he doesn't want it to do the same to hers.  Wendy promises Bae that if the shadow returns she won't go anywhere near it.

Uninvited Mary Margaret and David show up to Mr. Gold's room at the back of his shop, interrupting a little drinking party he has going on with Lacey. Gold is amused by David's news of Regina, but David plays the "you still owe me a favor" card with him.   Gold asks Lacey to leave while he attends to some business.  Lacey leaves with drink in hand.

Gold asks "Why do the Charmings' want to help the Evil Queen?"  Mary Margaret feels it's because "I owe her... after what I did to Cora."
"Never underestimate the power of a guilty conscience," Gold remarks. He presents a small box that contains a small vile of one of Regina's tears. But this spell requires two tears; one from Mary Margaret. He coaches Mary Margaret to think of a dark moment- something bleak and hopeless.  Being able to draw upon such a memory, Mary Margaret produces a tear that Gold captures into the vile.  He instructs her to drop the combo into her eye and she'll be able to connect with Regina wherever she is; Whatever Regina sees and feels, Mary Margaret will see and feel. The spell will last long enough to lead them to her.  With his end of the bargain fulfilled, he bids them goodbye.

Apparently, sneaky Lacey overheard their exchange and is impressed Gold really can do magic. Gold suggests she pour herself another drink.

Back at the apartment, David tries to tell Mary Margaret that she doesn't have to do this, as she's been through a lot already.  But Mary Margaret feels her heart is dark because of what she did to Regina. "If I can help find her, if we can save her... maybe it will help let some of the light back in." David understands.

 He drops one drop into Mary Margaret's right eye.  After a moment she starts to convulse- experiencing Flashes of Regina's shocking circumstances.

Mrs. Darling checks in on the sleeping children.  Bae now sleeps in a bed with light/white textiles.

Bae is awakened by Wendy, who is kneeling at the open window happily awaiting the approaching Shadow.  Wendy tells Bae not to be afraid, "He doesn't want to hurt us. He's from another land- a land of magic, but, its different from where you came from."  Bae warns her not to listen to him/shadow.
"It's called Neverland," reveals Wendy, as she allows the Shadow to take hold of her hand. "And there are no grownups there and children never grow old. And we can do anything we want- even fly!"  Bae grabs hold of Wendy's free hand, warning "It's a trick! Don't go with him! You don't need magic. You have family right here. That's the only thing that matters."
"It's what I've always dreamed of. You just don't believe!" Wendy is pulled away into the night sky by the Shadow.

As they walk the beach, Neal jokingly asks Emma where she thinks they're hiding Regina, "Sandcastle?"  Emma knows she's has to be somewhere. Neal accuses Emma of letting her emotions get in the way of her judgment.  Emma tells Neal this isn't all about breaking up him and Tamara. "What do you wanna hear, Neal? That it killed me that you never came looking for me even once I was locked up- that it didn't hurt, that you found Tallahassee with someone else?"  Just then, hooded Tamara comes jogging into their space. She claims she starts off her run by running in the woods and then runs along the beach.  Tamara "plays shocked" by the missing Regina news.
"I thought maybe she was down here but, I was wrong," states Emma. Tamara's sure she'll turn up somewhere. "Let me know if I can help at all," and Tamara kisses Neal and continues her run.  It's obvious Emma is uncomfortable. Once alone Neal blurts out "I wanted to go to jail for you. It kills me that I let August talk me into letting you go. {He has to say these things to her, even though she doesn't want to hear it.} I wanted to look for you. I just, I... was too afraid."
Emma wonders, "Of what?"
"That you would never forgive me- 'cause I never forgave myself. There hasn't been a day that's gone by... that I don't regret having left you. I'm sorry, Emma- for everything."
Emma is sorry too.

Back inside the Queen's "torture chamber", Tamara tells Greg everything's taken care of; they think she was running on the beach. The Queen isn't exactly cooperating- but that's all about to change, as Greg gives her a huge jolt of electricity.
"You have no idea who you're dealing with," Regina claims. Greg feels it's her who has no idea who she's dealing with.  Regina feels they're a couple of fools who go around stealing magic, but they duo claim they're not there to steal magic- but to destroy it. Tamara informs her "Magic does not belong in this world. It's un-holy. We're here to cleanse this land of it."  Regina is amused that these two think they can accomplish this feat.
"Who said there's only two of us. We're, we're everywhere, Regina."  Greg explains that after he left Storybrooke as a boy, he was babbling about magic, about what he'd seen, and what had happened to his father. Most folks wrote him off, but some didn't. "They, Believer's" found him; those are people who know that magic is real- and know that it doesn't belong in this world and are willing to do something about it.
Regina feels "This little quest of yours... to cleanse the world of magic... it's not gonna work."
Greg insists it will work, as they've done it before and they'll do it again.  "Storybrooke" isn't the first time that magic has crossed over.  Magic has been doing its damage for a long time and people like them are there to stop it.  Greg pushes the Red activate button to jolt Regina again.

David questions shaken Mary Margaret about her out of body experience to find Regina.  Mary Margaret only remembers pain and screaming.  David encourages her to concentrate "The smallest detail might lead us to her."  Mary Margaret reveals her hands were tied down- and my legs... it was cold, and it smelled like sardines.

While walking on the dock Emma is brought up to speed by David via cell telephone; she could sense Regina was in pain, cold and strapped down- and that she could smell sardines. Just then Emma "eye spies" the Storybrooke Cannery Co. in front of her.  "Get down to the docks right now."  Emma tells Neal she was right, "Tamara was not down here for a run- she's in there... with Regina." The duo heads in.

Bae sleeps by the open window {Rose colors and Red robe} and is awakened by the return of Wendy.  She asks "How long was I gone?"
"Just the night."
Wendy, seeming a but troubled, shares that it felt so much longer. "...time works differently in Neverland."   When Bae asks what it was like over there, Wendy shares, "It's an island... where there are no grownups to tell you what to do. But there are mermaids and fairies and all sorts of mystical creatures."  Wendy tells him she returned because when night fell and all the children began to miss their parents, they cried through the night- the Shadow won't let them go home. "There's a reason it's called Neverland... Because once you set foot on its soil... the Shadow never lets you leave."
Bae ask how she escaped. Wendy reveals that he let her go; because he didn't want her, he wanted a boy. "He's coming back tonight to take one of my brothers in my place. You said magic was bad and you were right, Bae. It's going to destroy my family."  Bae won't let anything happen to her or that family.

Mr. Gold shows Lacey his bag of tricks. {Turning a small vile of clear liquid into green liquid.} He didn't show her sooner because "Magic always comes with a price. It tends to drive away the people I care about most."  Lacey feels he's been caring about the wrong people.  She wants to see more of what Gold can do, so he magically materializes a diamond necklace and puts it on her.
Gold claims he can do anything and that there are many perks to being the Dark One.

"Immortality being one of them, right?" Lacey wonders.  She asks if he can keep her young, which he can. This makes her happy because then they can be together forever and nothing can keep them apart.  But there is one thing... Gold explains "immortal" means to live forever- it doesn't mean one can't be killed. "There was a prophecy that- someone might be my undoing."  He claims to know who this "someone" is; something is standing in his way from eliminating this "someone".  Lacey thought he was a man who wouldn't let anything stand in his way. Gold pulls her close and claims "I am."

Armed Emma and Neal make their way into the dark Cannery to investigate.  Neal isn't going to leave Emma alone in "this place."  Emma needs to know if something goes down with Tamara that he's got her back.
"Emma, if Tamara is hiding Regina here in her evil lair by the docks, yeah, I got your back,"  he replies in a bit of a sarcastic tone.
A sound motivates Emma, only to find the sound came from armed David and Mary Margaret- they could've shot each other.  David gives Emma a walkie-talkie so that doesn't happen again.  Emma directs the duo to take the basement while she and Neal search the main floor.

Seeing via the computer monitor they're on the verge of getting caught, Tamara determines it's time to go.

 

She warns Greg about the gang being on their way in, but panicked Greg needs more time with Regina.  Tamara doesn't want their plan blown, but Greg feels they wouldn't even had known about that town if it wasn't for his dad. "I'm not leaving until I find out where he is."  Greg gets back to torturing Regina; they'll meet at the rendezvous point when he's done.

Greg turns up the power on the machines that are charging up Regina. "I'm moving up time. I gonna give you one last chance- Tell me where my father is."  Regina tells him his father is dead. "I killed him... the minute you ran away."  To prove it she directs him to find the buried body at their campsite; doubting he gets many visitors there. "Now go ahead and kill me. I just wanted to see the look on your face when I..."  Greg charges her with a strong jolt of electricity!

Mrs Darling wishes her "treasures" a goodnight and she leaves.  {Bae in bed}
"We have work to do," declares Bae.  The tiny army of children hatched a plan to set a trap for the Shadow. They set the trap.  {Note Wendy with a fork.}

The children arm themselves and go back into their beds.  All of a sudden all the flames that light the fixtures and fireplace are blown out. Bae assures the others not to be frightened. But the Shadow enters the room. Bae instructs the others into the crawlspace to hide for safety, but little Michael is mesmerized by the Shadow floating in front of him.  Bae confronts the Shadow, demanding it take him instead; making the Shadow promise never to bother the family again and not letting magic destroy the family.
Wendy is freaked out, not wanting Bae to go. Bae tells her, "You have to let me go."  Bae allows the Shadow to take his hand, but Wendy grabs Bae's other hand.   Bae thanks her for making him part of her family, and with that the shadow leads Bae out the window.

All the sad Darling children could do was watch from the window as the Shadow whizzes Bae through the maze of houses and buildings in the city, narrowly clearing all the smoking chimney stacks!  They fly by Big Ben; the time again is 8:15, and up toward the ever important star.

Greg continues to torture Regina! "You feel that?! That's the end of you!" He gives her another major jolt. "Now, you're never gonna hurt anyone ever again."  David enters and shoots at the machine. Greg runs away and David wants to take off after him; but Mary Margaret needs him to help get Regina to Mother Superior or she'll die.  David radios Emma to block the exits; she's already on it. He also warns that Greg Mendel is headed their way.
Neal replies to Emma, "So I was right, it wasn't Tamara."  Just then, Tamar hits Emma in the head with a huge pipe knocking her out, and proving that it was Tamara. 

She points the gun at Neal, explaining "I have to keep magic out of this world, Neal. It doesn't belong here. You more than anyone should understand that. It's a poison."  Neal is upset that she's been lying to him and wonders "HOW LONG?!"   Tamara admits "Since the beginning. Since I spilled coffee on you."  He realizes she planned it all, "None of it was real."  Tamara knows Neal's a good man, but she had an important job to do and that he would agree with it. But Neal isn't even thinking about that. He's devastated that she lied- that she never loved him. Knowing he can't let her leave here, he approaches her and Tamara shoots him. {blood from his chest.} As she's about to finish him off by aiming at his head, awakened Emma intervenes and fights with Tamara.

Just as armed Emma claims it's over, Tamara proves it's not, by producing a magic bean that she tosses in Emma direction. The bean glows green and causes a familiar swirling vortex into the ground.  As the portal expands, Emma tries to get out of its way by climbing up the wall and holding on to a pipe.  Tamara takes off.   The pipe Emma is holding on to is failing and she's hanging right over the opening.  Neal saves her but the portal opening keeps growing, causing Emma and Neal to slip.  Barely hanging on, Emma holds on to Neal's hand. Neal knows she can't hold both of them, but Emma's not letting go of him.
"You have to," shot Neal replies.  Emma needs to get him to a hospital; knowing he'll die if he falls through the portal- no matter what world he lands in.
Neal says "no" and reminds her that Henry needs her; Henry can't lose both of them. "Don't let him to grow up like we did."
Emma is crying "Then don't let go. I need you. I love you."
"I love you too."  Neal lets go of her hand and allows himself to fall into the portal.
Emma is again, left without her love, Neal. Heartbroken, she cries.

In the woods near a broken tree, Greg frantically digs a hole at the campsite, looking for his father's bones. He hits something metal sounding, and pulls up reddish fabric. Using his hands to pull away dirt, he comes upon a skull. "Dad."

Over at Mary Margaret's apartment, Mother Superior uses her blue glowing magic wand over Regina's sleeping body. "Now that the cuff is off, she's gonna be okay. Given time and rest, her magic will return."
Devastated Emma returns home and shares the tale of how Neal is gone; she (Tamara) killed him.

Flying over water towards an island, Bae, hearing the cries of the children, wonders, "Neverland?" He tries to break free of the Shadow, not wanting to be taken there.  Remembering he has a box of matches in his robe pocket, Bae lights a match and uses it to defend himself against the Shadow.  Shunning the flame, the Shadow drops Bae into the water below.  The frustrated Shadow hovers above the water searching for the fallen boy before finally taking off to the island.

Bae floats to the top of the water. A searchlight spots him. A rope {Looking more like a noose for a moment} is tossed into the water and unconscious Bae is pulled on deck of Captain Hook's ship- The Jolly Roger.
Bae wakes and asks "Who are you?" The Captain introduces himself and welcomes the boy.

While Mary Margaret tends to Regina, David comforts his hurt daughter.  Emma wonders how she's going to tell Henry.
Regina wakes to see the face/Mary Margaret (faces) of who saved her.  They wouldn't let her die. Despite their differences they're family.  David informs her that Greg and Tamara got away.
"So they still have it," Regina states.  "Still have what?" Mary Margaret asks.

Carrying the dark diamond through the woods, disheveled Tamara arrives at the rendezvous point to find Greg shoveling. She's sorry about his father- so is he.  Tamara hands Greg the dark diamond and tells him the folks at the home office knew about this rock "And you're never gonna believe what it does."

Regina educates David and Mary Margaret about this "trigger" that will destroy Storybrooke. She had a failsafe built into the curse. This upsets the couple as they now posses the knowledge Regina wanted to kill all of them in Storybrooke.  Regina admits wanting to use the beans to take Henry back to the Enchanted Forest.  Regina no longer controls the trigger.

Tamara informs Greg that with the dark diamond, "They want us to move to the next phase."  It seems that the time frame for this phase has been moved up- they're to blow Storybrooke off the map.

The Evil Queen

“That's ridiculous. The only point in having enemies is so you can defeat them, kill them, brush them aside." 
"Or give them a chance to redeem themselves.” ― Derek Landy, Death Bringer

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


Get up, come on get down with the sickness

Regina and Hook's lives are so empty that all they have to keep them going is their hunger for revenge. That is sad. Do they find any desire in this pain or has it all become just a terrible habit? Surely there's no real reward for vengeance. What fate lies ahead for the person who won't let the fire of their evil and selfish desires burn out? They have become slaves to their own creations and constantly frolic with their demons.  Could Hook be gaining some clarity to this futile crusade; understanding that revenge is an end- not a beginning. And then what is left to fill your time, heart and mind with? Nothing- No one. It all becomes a very lonely place to be. At some point you would think one should run out of reasons to keep that stupid fight alive. But how do you sever an old relationship that's getting you nowhere, even if that relationship is with your own negative self?! Let go.

Regina sounds like an addict! She justifies her vengeance and her need for power and control. She finds excuses for her actions, blames others for her emotions and never takes responsibility for the trouble and pain she inflicts onto others. But does she truly love Henry? I ask because she unloaded all that shit onto her "son" Henry, and then wipes his memory of it.  Of course she has no one to talk to!  She doesn't understand that loving someone is not to possess someone. You should love someone so they feel free.  On LOST Ben Linus tried to possess Juliet- it was pitiful.


Every new beginning comes from some other beginnings end

Again... you can't change the past- whatever happened happened. You can only learn from your past and move forward from it, hopefully more educated and enlightened to do and be better.  But there can't be a new beginning until there has been an ending.

When her true identity is camouflaged Regina learns the truth about how the people see her and how Snow White sees her and their past relationship. Snow can even forgive Regina for her past actions. But we see even Snow has a breaking point and ends up losing hope in the good heart of Regina; remember, we've seen Snow White has stopped Regina from being executed twice already.  When Regina sees Snow White has lost hope in her, this makes Regina lose faith and hope in herself and this sadly keeps her on an angry and vengeful path. She's resigned herself to her dark side- but for how long?

For all of the residents, not just Regina, it is their true self that is well hidden... and well-guarded.

Regina says she wants to be good and to be the hero, but she can't become that just by erasing the past choices she's made and consequences that followed. She can change her destiny and become those things by a transformation of sorts.  Regina can feel true love, be in true love and be loved, once the "evil" part of her is gone - dead. Again, the only way you can move on is to let go.  Regina wants to erase Storybrooke, but maybe there's a part of Regina that doesn't need Storybrooke anymore.

Emma is obviously looking for answers- deep answers.  And of course Emma doesn't have a superpower- but she does seem to be able to tap into her intuition at times.  In this episode, to me, Emma's behavior, although grown up, was kind of child-like when she was with Henry. And she does seem to have a bit of attachment to Neal.

FLYNN LIVES...

Or at least I hope he's still alive (and well), but where? Since we've been introduced to the Flynn's, I've been deep in thought about the whereabouts of missing Kurt Flynn.  Since Regina's involved, my first thoughts were him being trapped in a computer/video game (because his name is Flynn and we got a major nod to ENCOM) and then I imaged him also being locked away in Regina's secret ward underneath the hospital. But the more I dwell on it- the whole Flynn, ENCOM and Space Paranoids video game stuff brings me back to thinking technology and science.

Ah, but what the hell do I know? Maybe Regina changed his form and brought him to another realm. Maybe he's stuck somewhere else- like in King George's realm or hidden in Neverland or Wonderland... or, yes, I'll say it 'cause I'm crazy like that and love to have fun... the "Island."

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

๑ Maleficent rises from the ashes and Earth, and her screams made me think of the Wraith
๑ Fire. Burned. Charred. Smoldering. Ashes
๑ Tamara and Greg put hoods over their captured people
๑ Black Diamond
๑ Sleep. Unconscious. Wake up
๑ Hood. Veiled.
๑ Identity. Change. Transformation. Shape-shifting
๑ Bug. Beetle. Dragonfly. Praying Mantis
๑ Darts. Arrows
๑ Camouflage. Hide.
๑ Time. Turn back time
๑ Greenhouse
๑ Wardrobe
๑ Cuff
๑ The Queen is Dead
๑ The Stranger
๑ Wilma: My mind went right to Wilma Flintstone.

Vocabulary and Research...

๑ Dragonfly: Flying insect. Anisoptera (from Greek anisos, "uneven" + pteros, "wings"). It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body. They are predators. Dragonflies can sometimes be mistaken for damselflies, which are morphologically similar. Damselflies undergo incomplete metamorphosis, with an aquatic nymph stage.
๑ Dragonfly (aka Shuttle Chess or Bird Chess) is a chess variant invented by Christian Freeling in 1983. There are no queens, and a captured bishop, knight, or rook becomes the property of the capturer, who may play it as his own on a move turn to any open square. The game is an off-shoot and simplification of a Freeling game named Loonybird (or Dragon Chess).
๑ Praying Mantis: because of the typical "prayer-like" posture with folded fore-limbs. They are predators. The closest relatives of mantises are the termites and cockroaches. They are sometimes confused with phasmids (stick/leaf insects) and other elongated insects such as grasshoppers and crickets.
-Northern Praying Mantis, the Northern Chinese martial art from Shandong
-Southern Praying Mantis, the Southern Chinese martial art of the Hakka people
-Operation Praying Mantis, a 1988 naval battle between US and Iranian forces  
๑ Wilma: German/Dutch name meaning Resolute Protector and in Italian it is short for Willhelmina and means Will-Helmut, Desire.
- Hurricane Wilma, Tropical Storm Wilma, Cyclone Wilma, Wilma Glacier
๑ The Coffin Texts are a collection of ancient Egyptian funerary spells written on coffins beginning in the First Intermediate Period.

VIDEO CLIP ABOVE: Here's a little LOST Flashback to when fail safe Desmond uses his magic fail safe key to make the Swan Hatch go away.

✔ Golden LOST Thread Woven into the Tapestry of this Tale

✈ Technology. Science.
✈ Two man jobs: The Swan Hatch to press the button and The Pearl to observe and take notes on the two people in the Swan Hatch
✈ Offered a job: To protect the island
✈ 8
✈ Stab the Dark One: S6 Locke, aka- the Man in Black, and "Mother" in Across the Sea
✈ Fail-safe: in "Live Together Die Alone" Desmond turned the magic fail-safe key and made the Hatch implode and go away... Desmond is also mentioned being a failsafe in "What They Died For."
✈ Lists: Flight manifest. Hurley makes a list of survivors. Ben's list of crash survivors. Jacob's Lists
✈ The Others put hoods over the heads of their captured
✈ Veiled. Hood
✈ In "Exodus part 2"  Walt asks Michael "What about everybody else?..."
✈ Fire. Burned. Charred. Smoldering. Ashes
✈ Shape-shifting
✈ Darts. Arrows
✈ Time. Turn back time
✈ Chicken
✈ Identity. Change. Transformation 
✈ Greenhouse: The Orchid Station is below the greenhouse- There's No Place Like Home P1,
There's No Place Like Home P2, The Little Prince and in Further Instructions : Locke lives in a commune that has a greenhouse
✈ Ben Linus tried to possess Juliet "You're mine!" in "The Other Woman"
- Ben killed the members of Dharma village, including his father
✈ Liam has a dragonfly/bug motif on his shirt in "Greatest Hits"
✈ Birds. Bears
✈ Left Behind
✈ John Locke, Sun and "Mother" to Jacob used herbs/plants from the Earth for various ills.

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

Tamara and Greg brought hooded Hook to the clock tower of the library and tied him up, all to offer him a job. But Hook feels his life purpose has been met when he killed Rumpelstiltskin. Tamara wishes she could have been there to see him "Stab the Dark One."  But Greg shows Hook via the unobstructed clock tower and with the aid of a telescope, that Rumple is very much alive and hanging out with Lacey as they exit The Rabbit Hole.  Greg eggs Hook on. "He beat you. Now this guy has powerful magic, Mate. He's untouchable. You'll never get another chance to take him down."  The two lovebirds inform Hook that the only way to take him down is with their help. Tamara reveals, "We know how to kill magical creatures."  The price- Greg needs Hook to help him find his father; as Hook knows Regina took him.

Back in The Enchanted Forest the "Evil" Queen is still on the hunt for Snow White.  She and her soldiers (Berkeley) search a small cabin and determine Snow White was hiding there and now she's gone. "Someone must have tipped her off and she ran," claims the Queen. When the Queen meets with the townsfolk, she spins a story about the crimes Snow White committed in an effort to ascend the throne herself.  Even though the Evil Queen offers to richly reward for information leading to the capture of Snow White, no one takes her up on it.  The Queen is stunned. "No one? Not one of you wants gold? NO? You're telling me she lived here and not one of you saw her?!"  The angry Queen, not getting any help from the villagers and not getting her way, commands her soldiers to "kill them all. No mercy. Find me Snow White!"

Mary Margaret and David sit on a bench under the stars on the chilly dock, warmed by a blanket and something to drink. They discuss going back to the Enchanted Forest and leaving Regina behind. David feels Regina's too dangerous and although it will affect Henry those horrors will continue if Regina is around. Every time they give Regina another chance- she slips.  This seems to really be tugging at Mary Margaret's heart. David suggests they give Regina a choice, "Come back, live out her days in Rumple's cell or stay here."
"Jail cell? I don't think so" Regina wonders. She had been hidden in plain sight as a male fisherman and has been eavesdropping on their conversation. They never knew she was there.

In the castle the Evil Queen Regina calls for Rumpelstiltskin- and there he is.
Rumple feels the fired up Queen Regina has taken to power quite well. "Gives your cheeks a nice rosy color."  The Queen doesn't understand how the peasants are still loyal and protect Snow White even when offered a fortune. Rumple reminds her that although she is their Queen, she did just slaughter an entire village. "Maybe that's why they call you 'The Evil Queen'."
"I am not evil," claims the Queen, blaming Snow White, "She's the evil one."
Rumple advises, "They're her people, Dearie. You're gonna have to be content with their fear. They'll never love you."
But the Queen insists they will once she is gone; when Snow is dead. "Then they will see my kindness."  She feels the people will then be able to eventually forgive her previous evil acts; including burning down their homes.  Regina needs to find Snow White herself.

While Rumple sits looking at himself in a hand-held mirror, Regina asks him to teach her her mother's Shape-shifting Spell, "Allow me to hide."  But that spell took Cora months to learn, so Regina wants Rumple to put the spell on her.
"If I do... you won't control it," Rumple reveals, "And you won't have any magic while the spell is working."  Regina insists she won't need magic as long as she can get close enough to snap her neck with her bare hands.  Seeing her determination, Rumple instructs; when the deed is done call upon me. "Only I can return you to your regal self."  The price- Rumple needs her to cut off all trade with King George's realm, as he needs him bankrupt. Deal! Time is of the essence.

With the magical swirl of blue smoke, Regina is transformed. She only sees herself dressed in ghastly rags, but the world will see not only the rags, but a new face as well. Rumple warns, "Be careful, Dearie, a Queen striding amongst peasants might not like what she hears."  This warning doesn't faze the camouflaged Queen. "They'll be singing my praises over her smoldering villainous remains."

Henry is tending to his birdhouses when Regina pays him a visit.  Claiming she missed him, she also reveals the package of magic beans she stole from the hidden bean field cultivated by Anton and the Storybrooke gang. Regina tells darling Henry that Emma, Mary Margaret and David have been keeping this a secret from him and that they want to take him to the Enchanted Forest with her.  Henry thinks maybe they're all going and they just haven't told Regina yet.
"No. They won't let me help. They don't see the good in me- the good you've seen. They only see the Evil Queen, which, they made me. And I don't wanna be that anymore. This is my chance to go back and start over- for me to be the Hero. And you'd like that, right? {Henry would love it.} This is how it will work... There's a failsafe built into the curse, a trigger..."
"Like a self-destruct button. Like you never did it," Henry adds.
Regina continues, "Yes. It's the next best thing to turning back time."  Henry finds that amazing and asks what happens to Storybrooke.  "It disappears... forever. No need to worry, dear, we can get away first, back to the Enchanted Forest using this (beans)," says Regina.
Concerned Henry wonders, "But... what about everyone else?"
"They die."
Regina doesn't have any other choice, "As long as there are other people in our lives... you can never fully be mine. You loved me once- with them gone you'll love me again and you can see me for what I truly am... a Hero."  Henry knows that's bullshit! If she kills everyone else she's a villain- and he could never love anybody who could do such horrible things, "Why would you even tell me this?!"
Regina reveals she doesn't have anyone else to talk to. Everything she said will come to pass because even though Henry wants to stop her, Regina magically wipes his memory of that conversation.

The magically transformed "riches to rags" Evil Queen strolls through the village and comes upon a game where villagers sink darts/arrows into the heart of the stuffed replica of the Evil Queen.  The Villagers laugh and mock, for they know the Queen doesn't have a heart and that she lies about Snow White. They begin to chant "Kill the Evil Queen!"

A young man throws his dart at the dummy doll Queen and the crowd cheers, while refashioned Regina is overwhelmed with shock at their true feelings for her.  "Snow White should be our Queen," the young man states, and thanks his lucky stars that he doesn't know her/the Queen. "Let's burn her!" Again the crowd cheers.  Regina holds back the angry villagers with a torch. She won't stand for this treason!  Two of the Queen's guards (Rivers and Berkley) approach to find a dirty slag is defacing an effigy of their Queen- not seeing it is truly the Evil Queen Regina trying to stop it.  Regina will have River's head for saying that it looks just like her. She claims to know their names because "I am the Queen." {She removes her veil as if to prove it. And puts her hands out wanting to use magic on them- but there's no magic.} They take her away.

In Regina's Mayoral office in Storybrooke, she tends to her mini greenhouse that houses her stolen magic beans.  Captain Hook enters to ask for her protection.
"From Gold? I'm surprised you'd show your face in this town, once you noticed your murder didn't take."
Hook reveals their bigger problems; Mendell (the man who hit him the night Hook shot Belle) and some woman he's in league with. She abducted him in New York and dragged him back to Mendell. They want Hook to make an alliance with Regina and then betray her; that's why they let him go. Hook proposes the alliance but they can skip the betrayal business. Hook's unaware Cora is dead and when it's revealed he finds it sad news. "She will be missed. I will tell you this, Regina, I knew her well enough to know that she wanted most in the world was to see you win. Now, I failed in my revenge - the best tribute I could give her is to help you with yours."

Regina shows Hook her escape plan-  the mini-greenhouse with the magic beans. Cora would have loved that. She brought the Giant with the beans so she could go back and start over with Regina. But now Regina's doing that with Henry; if Hook will help her.  This is how they're going to escape the total destruction of Storybrooke- including the crocodile. "Rumpelstiltskin will die, if you help me."

Emma literally bumps into Tamara while she's picking up bagged food from Granny's.  Apparently "He" still hates mayo like the plague.  A list of residents names connected to their fairy tale land names falls and Emma picks it up. Emma fishes for insight into Tamara's time in Storybrooke and also mentions what it would mean for Henry or Neal if the world found out about this place- but Tamara assures Emma she can be trusted.

Back at the apartment Emma tells Mary Margaret that Tamara is the "She" August tried to warn them about and how Tamara has a list about the people who live there, and lied to her when she said she can trust her.  But Mary Margaret Shhhh''s her, as Henry is upstairs. Mary Margaret thinks Emma's superpower has been known to be unreliable; especially when she's emotional.
"For the last time- I don't have feelings for Neal. That was over a decade ago. I'm over it," Emma tells her mother.  Mother whispers, warning, "If you tell Henry that you think his dad's fiancée may be up to something... then Henry's gonna think there's a chance his parents could get back together. So keep it to yourself, please, until you know something more."  She leaves and Henry appears from out of nowhere to Emma's left; apparently he wasn't upstairs or in the shower.
"Exactly. Operation Cobra is back on," sneaky Henry states. Emma has an ally in investigating Tamara.

Regina and Hook enter the old library. Hook assumes why it's a two man job, "You need me to lower you?"  No. It used to be before magic. Regina uses her magic to unlock and open the elevator doors and to close them.  The gears and metal whirls, clicks, clanks and creaks.

As the two guards drag the camouflaged Regina to have her head chopped off, she is trying to prove who she is by spewing facts of her knowing them. Panicked Regina calls out "RUMPELSTILTSKIN!"  But an arrow is shot by a hooded person, revealed to be Snow White. She's come to save the day. This makes Regina faint.

Down the bowels,  Hook asks Regina, "You ever wonder if this constant pursuit for revenge is the reason we have no one who cares for us? I mean, when all this is over and the crocodile is dead for good and all... I'll have nothing to look forward to. My life will be empty. Revenge may sate your being but don't misunderstand me my dear- It's an end, not a beginning."
"For you, maybe- not me. I have Henry. And destroying Storybrooke, well, that seems like a small price to pay to allow us to live in peace."

When Hook points her in the direction to head, Regina notices he wears the enchanted cuff-bracelet Cora gave him to climb the beanstalk with Emma. Even though Regina plans to blow Storybrooke off the map, she demands it back and Hook obliges. Regina places the cuff on her left wrist. "Now follow me closely."   She leads him further into the cave.
"Precarious. You couldn't have just hid the trigger in the back of your wardrobe?" Hook asks. But Regina knows it had to be both well hidden and well-guarded. "I put it somewhere no one would ever think I'd go," claiming a friend is guarding it. "She's been through a lot. There's a powerful spell here that sustains her in... whatever form she's in."  This is why it's a two-man job; Hook's role is the distraction while Regina gets the trigger.  Regina pushes him into the pit!

Rising from the ashes and debris, a towering beastly form takes shape! The beast regains a human size, yet Hook recognizes it as Maleficent; whom he loves in Earth tones.  As they engage in combat, the screeching grotesque Maleficent again changes size, growing gigantic.

Regina searches for her stashed trigger inside the familiar glass coffin that is covered in ash and dirt.  Out of the retrieved pouch she gazes at the "trigger"- a black diamond.

On the run Snow White takes care of her unconscious liberated stranger.  The stranger has a fever; a dirty blade will do that.  Snow White asks "Honey" her name and the stranger replies "Wilma. My family works in the mills."  Snow's happy to meet her and informs her "You're going to live, by the way."
"How long... (She has trouble getting up) How long 'til I can get up?"
Snow tells her two days. She picked a good place for it though- fresh water, healing herbs and not bad hunting; if you don't mind killing the Royal livestock.
"You don't know how to do that," claims Wilma, and realizing she can't let on who she really is.  As Snow mixes up a bowl of herbs she shares that someone from another forest taught her. "It's a long story."
This perfect stranger asks why Snow is out there when there are people hunting for her. Snow wants the stranger to listen to as a distraction while she bathes her wound- it's going to hurt.  Snow tells the stranger the events of the day when she was younger and the horse she was riding got away with her and was about to be thrown and was saved by a woman who had no idea who she was. This woman risked her own life for Snow, "And changed me. My mother always told me to keep goodness in my heart and this woman proved she was right."  It taught Snow that there can be this genuine selfless connection between people, even strangers.  This recount of events and lessons touches the stranger/Regina and she asks Snow what happened to the stranger.
"She's gone," Snow answers with a whisper, "Oh, but I hope she comes back some day."  Yes, secretly Regina is touched and hopeful.

While on their stakeout Henry tells Emma that while Operation Cobra was about breaking the curse, this is about keeping Storybrooke secret, so they need a new name.
"Operation Tiger," blurts out Emma. Henry asks her why, but Emma complains that Henry never needs a why.
Henry wants something like the town- something that hides in plain sight- something like a Praying Mantis.   Henry thought by now they'd be having adventures- over there. "Riding horses, shooting bows and arrows... This is cool too."  Emma asks the boy if that's something he still wants; if there is a way to go back to the Enchanted Forest.
"Is there?!" Henry asks.  When Emma tells him no and not to be crazy, Henry thinks "There is... a way back. The bean or something. The Giant brought it, didn't he?"  Emma knows he's a smart kid. Henry finds this awesome! "We can get like a castle. You, me and Neal."  Emma cuts that idea down.
"Duck!" yells Henry.  "Operation Praying Mantis is on," declares Henry, as they watch Neal and Tamara leave Granny's.

Emma picks the lock to Tamara's room while Henry is the look-out.  {The exchange between these two about hitting the door is kind of childish.}  Henry has delusions of Neal and Emma getting back together when they discover that Tamara is evil; that would call off their wedding. Henry feels it could happen for them,
"Thrown together, moonlight, wine..." {You mean like Lady and the Tramp?!} But Emma insists she's on to Tamara for other reasons.

Emma searches the room and the wardrobe and discovers a creaky loose floorboard. {Henry looks like he's balancing walking a line outside the door.}
Emma's interrupted by Henry entering with Neal. By the way, Neal taught her the bang on the door trick. Emma lies claiming he wasn't there and the door was open. But she comes clean, sharing she thinks Tamara is playing him and that she's the "she" August was trying to warn them about.  Neal admits he helped her make the list of fairy tale names for Tamara.

Emma  investigates the loose floorboard with Neal's help for Emma's "proof" and finds nothing.

Snow White puts out the fire while Camo'd Regina starts to wake up. Snow thinks she looks better, "I think you slept off the last of it." Snow arms her guest with a sword, as they need to get moving because Snow heard noises in the woods; maybe a patrol.

As they move on we see "Regina" have second thoughts about using the sword to take down Snow White. "If the stories are to be believed, the Queen sent the Huntsmen to tear your heart out," Snow's guest asks.  Snow says yes, as she continues to help the woman on their walk.  Regina asks if the woman was there in front of her now, would she kill her for that.
Snow opens up. "Regina wants to hurt people. I think she's in constant pain and is always looking to figure out whom to blame for it. We lived in the same household and still she could never see that I was on her side. She wanted revenge more than she wanted love. And I can't imagine living that way. I want to be guided by love- so, no, I wouldn't kill her."
But "Regina" feels no one is that generous, "People aren't that good."  But Snow thinks they are- even "her"; Regina's just afraid to look vulnerable, and Snow knows there's still good inside there. "I've seen it. I wish she'd give herself the chance to be that person again."  Snow doesn't think it's too late for her or anyone.
The now warmed heart "Regina" asks "So, if she wanted to change... if she wanted to be a family again, if she... wanted to be good... would you forgive her for that? Would you let her back in?"
Snow would love that- if she really meant it.  "I wouldn't mind a feather bed either, but neither one is happening so there's no use thinking about it. She wouldn't offer," Snow adds.
"Sometimes people can surprise you," hopeful "Regina" affirms.

Just then Snow makes a grisly discovery. The townspeople have been slain on the hillside, all by the order of the Evil Queen Regina.  Regina reflects, "We gone further than I thought."  Snow is very upset because these people are dead because they helped her- she knows she/Regina did this. Devastated Snow takes it back- "It is too late for her. I could never forgive her. There is no good in that woman. None! I was wrong. There never was."    Regina reminds Snow of that fateful horse rescue all those years ago. "Your story... about being saved."
Snow never said it was "Her."  "Regina" claims to have read between the lines. Snow draws her bow and arrow, knowing the woman who stands before is Regina; hidden behind her dark magic.
Regina admits and adds "There is good in me."  But Snow doesn't want any part of it. This infuriates Regina and she tries to summon up a fireball of magic in her right hand- but there is no magic to be found due to her current altered state. Still holding the sword in her left hand, she starts to lower it and drops it, and calls out for Rumple. She would rather use magic than an actual weapon. Again, Rumple doesn't appear, so Regina runs away.

The library elevator opens and Regina is stunned to see that Hook is already standing there; feeling Hook couldn't have survived that.  Hook is proud, as the one thing he excels at is surviving.  Hook feels that the two shared a connection with the whole "fresh clean start..." almost had him- so much so that he almost put a stop to his plan. Uh, well, "their plan," speaking of Greg and Tamara. They saved hook from Maleficent. "They have a way with magic, or should I say, a way against magic."  Having enough, Regina tries to conjure up magic in her left hand but is unable to do so, as Greg and Tamara had altered the previously magical cuff Regina now wears.

Henry admits to believing Emma about Tamara, while the two share some ice cream. Emma insists she's right.
"And when we prove it we can all go back to the Enchanted Forest," proclaims Henry. {Emma makes a weird expression.}

David tells Leroy they'll need his help repairing the palace when they get back. Mary Margaret reveals its been burned down.  The trio discovers that the bean field is destroyed- the beans are gone. Angry Leroy feels "Nobody steals from a Dwarf." Snow wonders "Who would do this?"

"Regina barges into Rumple's house asking why he didn't come when she called upon him to change her back
"I said you can call- didn't say I'd answer,"  replies the imp.  Annoyed Regina wants to be changed back; she obviously didn't have a pleasant time being a faceless being in the crowd of the peasants and Snow White.  She tells Rumple, "Well, you were right." Rumple eggs her on. "Right about what?"
"They'll never love me," admits the broken Queen. Rumple feels it's so sad- yet so true. So Regina is going to punish them!
Rumple transforms her back.
Regina declares "The Queen is dead.  Long live... the Evil Queen."

Hook reveals the cuff Regina wears has been rigged with something that blocks her magic. Little bitty Owen does grown-up magic of his own now, thinks Regina.  But Owen says it's not magic- it's something much better... Science.  Regina tries to get the cuff off of her wrist, but Owen clarifies that she may be able to get rid of the leather, but inside is there are the toughest metals and machinery known to man and right now they're counteracting every magic bone in your body.

Tamara looks over his list, "Which one was she?"  Owen verifies "Uh, she was th- the Queen. The Evil Queen."
"Yes, I was... the Queen."
Owen interjects, "But now... here... You're nothing."  He's just a man on a mission but finding his father is not his mission. He knows Regina knows where his father is- and he's not telling Regina what his mission is.  He orders Tamara to "Bag her."