These are not the heroes we’re looking for. Once Upon a Time season 5, episode 5, “Dreamcatcher,” held tryouts in both Camelot and Storybrooke.
Come one, come all and toss your hat (and tears) into the 2015 hero games. Once Upon a Time season 5, episode 5, “Dreamcatcher,” may have had a carnival take over the town, but it was another set of games that kept the heroes, and wannabe heroes, on their A-game this week. Does anyone have a fair chance if the Dark One has the entire competition rigged?
Camelot — A test of heartbreak
David and Mary Margaret very nearly convince Regina that their intentions with the dagger are in Emma’s best interest, but the Dark One has intel of her own. Emma dips into her dark magic reserve not only to freeze Mary Margaret and David, but to peek into the past through a dreamcatcher and find out how Merlin became the tree.
In pursuit of the Dark One, Merlin hoped to put an end to the monster who killed his first love. But the Dark One gains the upper-hand and takes its dagger along with a tear from Merlin’s cheek to cast the spell. Regina suggests using the same magic that put Merlin away to release him, all they need is a tear of a lost first love.
Regina volunteers to revisit the memory of Cora killing Daniel that Emma sees for the first time. With the tear acquired, it was a race against Arthur to set Merlin free. But Regina’s tear was not strong enough to break the spell. Since Daniel’s death, Regina moved on; her new life with Robin dulled the pain from Daniel’s loss even if she doesn’t realize it.
A new love is brewing elsewhere in Camelot and Emma has a leg up on where to find a heart in need of breaking. While counseling Henry to set himself apart from the other men who are groomed to be heroic knights, Regina and Emma encouraged their son to entice Violet with the “exotic” wonders of soda and movies. However, when Violet realizes that Henry is courting her, she politely refuses his advances, pushing him into the friend-zone.
After Henry goes to his mothers, Regina is able to grab his tear and Merlin is freed with the help of Emma’s powers. While Henry is the hero of the Camelot tale, Emma is the villain. Tampering with the dreamcatcher in Storybrooke, Regina discovers that Emma stole Violet’s heart and forced her to break Henry’s heart. But Regina wasn’t the only person to see this harsh truth…
Storybrooke — A test of trust
Emma’s plans are under wraps for now, but Gold reminds her that as the Dark One his intentions were always clear even when his next actions weren’t. Before Emma sends Gold off to the forest with Merida, he leaves her with a piece of advice — the more she tries to justify what she is doing the further she will push people away.
Henry tries to get his mom back from the Dark One’s grip by inviting Emma on an operation to find Violet’s lost horse. When Henry hints that the horse loves pumpkins, Emma takes him up to the farm of Peter Peter (Pumpkin Eater). But Emma’s darkness scares the horse too much for her to officially save the day and so once again she sets Henry up to succeed. What a set up indeed. While Henry, once again, builds up enough false hope in his mom, the rest of the heroes are about to tear her down again.
ICYMI: Why Regina deserves to be Once Upon a Time‘s Savior
At Emma’s house, Regina summons Henry’s scarf in order to get past the protection spell. Even if she breaks Henry’s heart, Emma still allows him access to her own. Once the group discovers Excalibur in the basement and notice the markings match the dagger, Hook takes a step to remove the blade from the stone. But Regina, in what may be a moment of weakness, stops him. Who knows if an enchantment would lead to his death. Finding a dreamcatcher upstairs, Regina takes a peek and reveals the first few steps of Emma’s fall to the entire group.
Arthur reveals that once the dagger and Excalibur are reunited, the Dark One would have the power to remove light magic forever. Does this explain Emma’s motives? Does she want to remove the light from the world forever? Or does it send more suspicion in Arthur’s direction?
Emma’s house — A test of memory
Perhaps the dreamcatchers, especially the one she held with tears in her eyes, are the key to figuring out what happened in Camelot. In the final moments of the episode, Regina tries her best to appeal to whatever is left of the Emma she once knew. Not only is Emma letting Regina down, but she may have lost Henry’s trust forever. Regina reminds Emma that she has plenty of experience working with the Dark One and everything is seeded in manipulation. If Regina now stands on the moral high ground, imagine how far Emma has fallen.
But what choice did Emma have in Camelot? They had to free Merlin! With that statement, Emma spills a vital secret about their time in Camelot. If Merlin was freed, then why is Emma still the Dark One?
Merlin greets the heroes in Camelot and reveals that he does have the power to rid Emma of the Dark One. But the magic has a way of taking hold of every fiber of a person’s being. If one part of Emma’s heart is not willing to let go of the magic, she can never be free.
The forest — A test of strength
Merida and Gold take their training to the woods where things are not moving along as swiftly as Merida would like. Physically and emotionally weak, Gold can barely lift a sword, let alone take on an agitated Merida. Knocking him out, Merida goes in search of something that will force Rumpel to fight. Peering into the storybook, Merida finds the one item that will push Gold to stop being a coward and take a shot at her — the chipped cup.
Watch Once Upon a Time season 5, episode 6, “The Bear and the Bow,” Sunday, November 1 at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC.