Once Upon a Time Recap: "Heroes and Villains"

Written by Shae

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

There may come a time when everyone gets a happy ending. Such a time, however, isn’t now. With things finally seeming to be in the right direction, Elsa melts the massive wall of ice around the town. For once, magic goes smoothly, but there is one other thing. There is a barrier around the town once more. This time, if the line is crossed, there is no returning to Storybrooke. Not to mention, magic doesn’t work outside the town. With such a thing in place, it’s hard to imagine leaving. For one family, that choice is made for them. Marian seems to be all right. She plays with her son while Regina and Robin talk. Prior to that conversation, Marian expressed her permission, of sorts to Regina. The maiden wishes to be chosen, not seen as an obligation.

Robin has chosen Regina. Duty and vows be damned, he wants to be happy. While the situation is complicated, Robin can’t justify being with Marian if it means neither of them being truly happy.  Just as it seems the once evil queen is about to get her happy ending, fate intervenes. While Marian’s heart was removed once she’d been hit with the spell that turned her to ice, it wasn’t completely untouched. Marian is slowly falling under the spell again. There isn’t a cure, except to have her cross the town line where magic doesn’t exist. She can’t go alone. However. Robin and his son need to go with her. With Regina’s insistence, Robin agrees, reluctantly. The goodbye is one of the saddest I’ve ever seen.

Gold decides to talk to Regina, and tempts her to kill Marian. Regina refuses, knowing she’s doing the right thing. Watching them cross the line, however, it’s not easy…while her happy ending is falling through, Gold is getting his. Or so he thinks. He wakes Belle and tells her to pack, while he prepares for the spell that will free him from the dagger and grant him the use of his magic in a world without any.  It will only cost Hook his life. Which, Gold seems to be completely okay with. And if that wasn’t enough, Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff still need to find a way home. Crossing the town line is out of the question, and shouldn’t really be an option…What will they do?

Gold needs them all out of the way, especially Anna, before they find out he knows her and she knows of his evil…so he takes Hook’s heart in hand and tells Emma, through Hook, where to find a portal, or, rather, a magical doorway that will lead them back home to Arendelle. Emma is skeptical, so she decides to open the door first. Thankfully it is the right door, and the three end up in their home. Taking their kingdom back over takes no time, and within the blink of an eye, it’s time for Anna’s wedding. At least one couple is getting their Happily ever after.

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Speaking of, Belle is blissfully packing for her supposed trip to see the world. Things never go as planned, however. Henry shows up to help her with some things, and mostly asks a few questions. It’s his clumsy antics that have Belle stumbling onto a startling revelation.

It starts with a gauntlet. One that Rumple had found in his old life, when Belle was merely a servant to him. This gauntlet has the ability to show any enemy their weakness. Belle had been kidnapped and nearly killed by Ursula, Cruella, and Maleficent, before Rumple gave them the gauntlet back. Finding it, however, proved he’d lied. Good timing. Emma and Snow found out from Anna that she knew Gold and that he was a bad man. Emma figured out Gold needed them out of the way, and they’re frozen by him just before he tries to crush Hook’s heart. Belle’s good timing saves Hook. She’s found the real dagger and isn’t messing around. She order Rumple to drop the heart and makes him take her to the town line. In her rage of betrayal and hurt, she orders him to cross the twon line. Confessing her hurt, and knowing he’d never choose her over magic. Forced to do as he’s told, Rumple pleads with her. Tells her how scared he truly is, but she won’t have any of it. Once upon a time, she saw the man within the beast. Now she only sees a power hungry beast.

This isn’t the end, however. As Gold travels to find the three Queens of Darkness. With their help, he plans to get back to Storybrooke…and perhaps finish what he started? Make it up to Belle? Change? In the end, It won’t matter. On a brighter note, Henry has found a massive library in the house with the portal to Arendelle. The library contains blank storybooks. They’ve found where the author lives…Emma is on board with helping Regina find her happy ending, and things might just work out for the better. 

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