Once Upon a Time regroups in Storybrooke to offer Operation Cobra a few advances in Pan’s game. But will it be enough to help them save Henry?
Pack your bags, we’re heading home! The start of tonight’s Once Upon a Time takes the audience back to the moment just before the voyage to Neverland sets sail. Rumpelstiltskin entrusts Belle to make sure the cloaking spell keeps all of Pan’s henchmen out of the town. But as Belle runs to the dwarves’ mine, a car speeds towards the town limits. Two seemingly grown boys, give away their identity with two clever clues; a pair of glasses and a small brown bear hanging from the rearview mirror.
Back in the present on Neverland, the remaining members of the search party split up. Emma and Neal follow the lead to capture Pan’s shadow in the Dark Hollow. Hook eagerly jumps on their half of the mission. Better to be stuck in a love triangle than in the middle of a feuding married couple in search of an even angrier fairy.
A Darling Little Box: With Rumpelstiltskin off to meet his demise, Belle sits Storybrooke barely able to touch her cheeseburger. Ariel arrives just in time to bring Belle out of her doldrums and spark her into action. Rumpelstiltskin may egg Belle on with a cryptic message, but that only proves to Belle that he believes in her that much more. Ariel hands her the sand dollar that holds a magical hologram inside informing Belle that the answer to their problems in Neverland is hidden in the workshop. Only the strength of their love will reveal the hiding place.
Ariel finds a hairdryer somewhere and joins Belle in the hunt for a symbol of Belle’s love. Amazed and distracted by the endless trinkets in the shop, Ariel’s focus lands on a button that looks similar to one that Eric had on his uniform. Belle finds the perfect object that symbolizes her relationship with Rumpelstiltskin. No matter what the couple goes through, they always survive, just like Chip. Once placed back on its saucer, the little cup reveals a box hidden in the floorboards. Pandora’s Box.
Unfortunately, two brothers with high stakes in Neverland, interrupt and tie the girls up, taking the box to destroy it. Ariel is able to slip out of the binding by removing her bracelet, restoring her fin. Pan’s henchmen, the Darling brothers, are well aware of who they work for and are trying to keep their sister, Wendy, safe. Wendy has been a prisoner of Pan’s for many years. Ariel and Belle make them a deal: let Ariel bring the box back to Neverland along with a message to save Wendy.
Awkward, Party of Three: Paging Emma, Neal, Hook and a whole batch of tension! Hook assumes that Neal heard his secret in the Echo Caves about he and Emma sharing a kiss. However, Hook sticks his foot in his mouth as he thanks Neal for being so understanding of the circumstances. The tension from the resulting stare down between the two men fills the hut. Hook discovers that Emma did not tell Neal either and takes that as a bit of incentive to pursue his heart’s calling. Emma retrieves Neal’s coconut candle to lure the shadow to its light and subsequently trap it.
The team sets off for the Dark Hollows: a place where the victims of the shadow are forced to spend eternity. On the way to the cave, Emma hands Neal the blade that once belonged to him. Hook, once again never pegged as the sentimental type, vouches for his good side by informing Neal that he wanted to make sure Emma had something to remember him by. Neal jibes back that she now has him. As Neal goes ahead, Hook and Emma have a bit of a chat. Get ready to ship it, folks.
Hook reveals to Emma that he though their kiss meant something for them going forward. Emma admits his decision to tell David that Neal was alive showed some honor, but he must have made a deal with Pan. Hook admittedly insists that he broke the expectations of Pan by refusing to let another friend die. (Hook and David BFF4EVA.) Hook recognizes that Emma is surprised by the pirate’s ability to change. Hook reminds her that he may be a pirate, but he also believes deeply in good form.
Emma insists that finding Henry is the top priority in her life. At this juncture, Hook turns on the charm. Ah yes, love. But once Emma succeeds, and Hook has yet to see her fail, that’s when the real fun can begin. Neal shows up a millisecond before Hook can seal the promise with a wink. And what a glorious wink it would have been!
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