"Once Upon a Time" Recap: "Lily"

Written by Shae

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

Sometimes things happen and they can’t be forgiven. In the case of Lily’s life always going wrong, who is really to blame? Is it really Charming and Snow’s fault? Or is it the Author? In either case, Lily’s life has been anything but happy of normal. A gloom has set over our Emma, and she’s not able to really come to terms with what’s happened. Cruella couldn’t kill, but she didn’t know that. Still, she did what she did to save Henry, and that has to speak for something. Maleficent comes to Emma with a request. She asks the savior to find her daughter. A task Emma is up for, until she’s given the information Maleficent gained from Rumple. It seems fate has intertwined Emma’s life with the child of Maleficent from day one. Lily was her best friend…or something similar. Turns out the bad-luck girl, that stumbled into Emma’s life as children, would end up being someone her parents screwed over viciously. Emma’s about to head out on her own, when Regina offers a proposal, they should travel together. Despite everything that’s going on Regina needs Emma. And I need Emma to stop pouting…I mean, Regina doesn’t often ask for help, so when she asks for Emma’s…It hit in the feels, you guys. In the feels.

Maleficent is trusted in guarding Belle’s heart, while Snow and Charming have to watch Henry. It seems like it’s a good idea, right? They can be trusted to do that much at least. With Emma and Regina gone, Gold has a word with Will. They have a common interest, and Gold convinces Will to steal back Belle’s heart. In a weird reunion, Gold finally explains to Belle why he’d lied to her all that time. His heart is turning black, and soon nothing will remain of it. He gives her heart back and tells her he’s okay with Will guarding her heart. He knows he screwed up bad, and then he leaves. Like, guys, the feels that happened form that I can’t even begin to explain. For starters, come on Gold! Get it together! Belle loved you and you screwed that up so bad it’s not even funny! I mean, Will is a cute guy, but she doesn’t belong with him. Plus, Mattie brought up a good point of when is this taking place in Will’s time line! After all, in the spin off series, we saw Will’s love…so…what’s going on!

Emma has managed to track down where Lily used to live, only to find out form the land lord that she died some time ago. Distraught Emma nearly loses it and punches the guy, but Regina calms her down. They leave, only to have a wolf nearly wreck their car…but Emma swerves and they miss it completely. Flat tire aside, they head off to a nearby diner where the car will be towed to and grab coffee, yeah I guess that’s a good idea. Except for the waitress. She’s got a strangely familiar birthmark. Lily didn’t die, she just needed a new life. When Emma confronts her, it doesn’t go as planned. Lily leaves, with some kid she claims is hers, but really isn’t…and Emma isn’t convinced. She and Regina head over to where Lily lives now. Despite her story, she isn’t married, nor was that really her kid…but she does know more than she let on. It seems she’s known about Emma, and Storybrooke for quite some time. She takes Emma’s car and the chase is on.

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What happened between the two of them as kids? Emma had finally found a foster family that had no problem treating her like one of their own…until Lily showed back up. The girl had gotten into trouble and needed Emma’s help. She sends Emma to get her necklace from the house she was squatting in with her boyfriend at the time, with a promise to leave after. Emma got the necklace, and finds out what really happened. Lily and her boyfriend had robbed a convenience store with guns….Lily claims it was her boyfriend’s fault, but when Emma returns with the necklace, Lily is nowhere to be found. Instead, she’s left, taking the family's vacation money with them. Needless to say, Emma runs away after that confrontation. Lily shows up at the bus stop, she tries to explain to Emma that she doesn’t know why bad things keep happening to her, but they just do…Emma won’t have any of that, she’s done listening to Lily, so she storms off. Later, Lily is on a bus, by herself, when an old man sits next to her. He explains things to her that he shouldn’t know. It’s only a matter of moments before the pre-teen knows her whole life’s true story. And that necklace? That crescent moon isn’t made of stone…and her mother didn’t abandon her…

The car chase comes to a startling stop when Emma pulls in front of Lily and slams on the breaks. They all exit their vehicles, tension mounting by the second.  Lily confesses to knowing everything. She blames Emma at first, but Emma doesn’t have anything to do with how things ended up. No different than Lily did. Their parents are to blame, well Snow and Charming anyway. Lily begs Emma to put an end to her misery and just shoot her already, but Emma doesn’t. Instead, she puts the gun away (after Regina yells at her) and they sit and talk. Emma isn’t going to give up on Lily anymore. None of this is their fault, and she needs to be the friend she never was able to be. The three of them finally head off to New York.

Regina’s reunion with Robin is short lived when Marian shows up. Regina tries explaining that Marian isn’t actually Marian, but her sister Zelena. Robin seems confused and denies it, until Zelena shows herself. Robin is just a bit shocked, and I’m just a bit irritated with his existence, but that’s another blog for another time. And then Zelena drops the biggest bomb ever. She’s pregnant with Robin’s baby. What. Even. Seriously, guys, what even! This is an episode straight out of Jerry Springer, or worse! I’ve no words for that…at all. But, well, we’ve only got one episode left before the big season finale…what’s going to happen!?

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