Once Upon a Time season 3, episode 2 “Lost Girl” takes audiences on an exploration of identity in tonight’s episode.
The island of Neverland and the Fairytale realm each present challenges of identity that run rapid in the recent episode of Once Upon a Time. The title, “Lost Girl” gives a clue to the trajectory Emma travels on her quest to find Henry.
The episode splits time between three similar story lines:
Rumpel in Neverland: Rumpelstiltskin cuts away a piece of himself, his shadow, to hide a dagger in a place where no one can find it. Including, Rumpelstiltskin. Knowing the way that Rumpel seems to operate, the shadow, since the shadow is a part of him, may hold some power to locate the dagger in later episodes.
Rumpelstiltskin confronts a conjuring of Belle in the forest of Neverland. Belle’s presence in Neverland is a vision that helps Rumpelstiltskin forge a path for his future. In Neverland, Rumpelstiltskin takes on his past identity of The Dark One. The charade only instills mockery in the Lost Boys and Rumple begins to see that what he once was, is no longer the man he wants to be. Belle serves as a reminder that someone sees all the good buried in his heart. She takes Rumple to a cliff to help him realize that he must let go of his past, all the pain from his father abandoning him and all the guilt he holds from abandoning Baelfire, and make the choice to save Henry.
Belle’s spell over Rumpel only lasts until the doll Rumpel symbolically tossed aside continues to appear around the time-halted island. Outrunning your past in Neverland is the impossible task.
In Fairytale Land: A flashback takes the audience back to the forest where Charming awakens Snow. The Evil Queen witnesses the event, once more, and decides to pay the happy couple a visit in the village. Upon her arrival, Regina inflicts pain upon the villagers to convince Snow that she is not messing around with her bargain. Snow must choose between her claim to the throne or a peaceful marriage banished from the kingdom. With only 24 hours until the Queen returns to punish the villagers, Snow and Charming each take a side of the decision.
The dwarves turn against Charming and his decision to question Snow’s request to flee the village with her true love. Is Charming a gold-digging shepherd who does not want to lose his ascension to power through marrying Snow? The dwarves are convinced of this and Charming realizes that he must seek out the only person who can convince Snow otherwise; Rumpelstiltskin. Little help comes from the man of mystery, but Charming leads Snow on a quest to rediscover her identity. After riding through to Camelot, Snow pulls Excalibur out of the sword in the stone, offering her physical proof that she is the rightful heir to the throne.
Snow returns to the village ready to face Regina, armed with the sword she strikes Regina across the cheek. Empowerment! Snow vows to fight for her kingdom and resembles a fiery version of her former self. However, when Snow goes to pay the debt Charming owes, she discovers that the sword is a fake. Rumple takes Snow’s mother’s necklace as payment for a waste of his time. Charming convinces Snow that he only has her best interests in mind and that she stood up to Regina on her own accord. No physical representation of power takes that away from her.
Back in Neverland: Hook and Charming are at odds over leadership of the group. Hook knows the island better than all the gang, yet Charming insists on taking them under his guidance. The playful banter between Hook and Charming takes a turn as the crew faces certain danger lurking in the dark forest. As the crew sleeps, Pan visits Emma and presents her with a blank piece of parchment. The map, her guide to Henry, appears only if Emma can realize who she is deep down. An identity she hides from herself every day. Emma must conjure up an internal realization to manifest a physical reminder of what her identity can do for her.
Regina is not pleased with the lack of magical shortcuts allotted on the island and pleas with the group to use a spell on the map. Mary Margaret tries her optimism on Emma one last time as the two talk though all of Emma’s past identities. Boston resident, product of true love, Henry’s mom, etc. Nothing works to change the blank map. Regina finally places a locator on the map and it guides them to Pan’s recent hiding place in the dark jungle.
The Lost Boys appear and Henry is not among them. Pan is not one to lead them into a trap, though. After a brief battle, where Charming suffers a wound to the chest, Pan calls back his henchmen and reminds Emma of the secret to revealing Henry’s location. Emma is about to give up hope, when Mary Margaret asks her to talk through why she had a hard time tackling the lost boy she pinned. Emma explains that she saw so much of herself in the boy, just a simple orphan wondering why her parents would leave her. Emma’s difficult confession to Mary Margaret not only opens the door for them to move forward in their relationship, but unlocks the magic of the map.
Hook analyzes the map and the crew makes a plan to get to Pan’s lair. Pan pops in on Emma once more and reminds her that while she may have discovered her place as a “Lost Girl” she still needs to redefine her role in Henry’s life. He leaves Emma with a threat; by the time she reaches Henry he will not be able to forgive her for abandoning him and she will be an orphan once again.
David, nursing a deadly arrow wound, does not have a bright future set ahead of him. Are you ready to travel deeper into Neverland?
Highlights:
Hook threatening Felix, a Lost Boy, by reminding him that he is responsible for what happened to Rufio. (Disney copyrighted character!)
Hook hits on Emma. Who’s Neal, again?
Hook asking Emma how handsome the character depiction of him is in the movies. Are perms a bad thing?
Next week: Meet Tinkerbell!
Once Upon a Time season 3, episode 3 “Quiet a Common Fairy” airs next Sunday, October 13 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC