Once Upon a Time Recap: "Family Business"

Written by Shae

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

With each passing episode we learn more and more about the Snow Queen, her intentions, and of course, the past. What has her so upset that she’s plotting evilly?  There seems to just be one major theme, family. That embodied the entire movie that Frozen was. Here in Once Upon a Time, we see that theme not only being carried over, but expanded upon. In the town, Belle and Elsa hit the Library in hopes of finding information about Anna’s whereabouts. Sadly, they don’t find anything, and Belle is acting very weird. Finally, she leaves Elsa to find things on her own while she goes to do something herself.

In the past, it turns out Belle knew Anna. She’d traveled to Arendelle in search for the rock trolls. Belle had lost the final memory of her mother, before the woman died, and is in desperate need to get it back. Along the way, she meets Anna and the bubbly princess takes Belle to the Rock Trolls together. Grand Pabbie gives Belle a magical stone that can give her back her lost memories. Anna gets a chance to talk to the ancient troll after Belle gets what she needs. It seems the princess is worried about their new aunt just showing up. She’s worried that Elsa is in danger and that their aunt, The Snow Queen, has an alternative agenda. It just so happens that the Snow Queen has been listening in on the conversation and attacks the two women as they descend the mountain. Anna is hanging on the edge of a cliff; Belle’s magical stone that would restore her memories has been thrown to the edge. Before Belle can grab it, the stone falls and shatters. Belle tries to save Anna but it too late. The Snow Queen appears and takes Anna away…Belle fully believes she’s the reason Anna had fallen and was blaming herself and that forces her to make the choice to contact Rumplestiltskin , make a deal with him, and save her own kingdom.

Anna awakes in a cell to see the Snow Queen standing there, angry that Anna tried to betray her, and twists the situation. She leaves Anna there, convinced she can’t be apart of the happy family she so desperately wants.  In present day, Belle is desperate to find the Snow Queen and make her bring back Anna. She uses the dagger Rumple had given her and commands him to take her to the Snow Queen. Rumple does, despite the dagger being fake, and Belle goes into the lair to see if she can find the hat Anna had. The very hat Rumple has. The Sorcerer's Hat. While there, Belle finds the magical mirror that the Snow Queen had made. The mirror calls to her. Standing there is her own reflection, telling Belle all the insecurities she’s been feeling. The mirror goes further, tells her the dagger is fake, that Rumple doesn’t love her…said Dark One appears and takes Belle back to the shop, snapping Belle out of whatever spell the mirror held on her. Belle confesses to Rumple that she feels guilty over Anna’s disappearance. She apologizes for using the dagger on him, and it seems that they might actually be okay.

Meanwhile, Emma is really not okay with the fact that the Snow Queen was her foster mother for some time. More so, that she has no memory of this ever happening. But the Snow Queen has a lot of Emma’s old school work as well as an ancient scroll. It seems that she knew Emma would be the Savior, and that she has been trying to make Emma and Elsa into replacements for her lost sisters…

The mirror? It’s part of a spell that would turn everyone in town against each other…All except Elsa and Emma…the perfect family the Snow Queen has always wanted.  

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