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!
Dark Hollow: Armed with the coconut and a lighter, the trio enters the dwelling of the shadow. In an attempt to out macho one another, Hook and Neal fight over a lighter and ultimately lose it as the shadow begins to move in on them. Emma manages to grab the coconut and hide, but Hook and Neal are taken by the shadow’s split spirits. As Neal and Hook slowly have their own shadows torn from their bodies, Emma does something extraordinary: she lights the candle using the magic Regina taught her. She captures the shadow and prove to both men that she can take care of things herself if both of them let her down.
The Not So Charming Life: In most marriages one partner will eventually hide a near death experience and then announce that they need to build a tree fort because they are forever bound to the island they went to on a mission to rescue their grandson. That’s why most people retire to Boca Raton, right?
Snow is giving David the ultimate silent treatment. David tries just about everything to get Snow to open up and let out her frustration. First he jokes about finding a nice clearing to set up a hut or treehouse for himself, but when that fails to make Snow chuckle he finally loses it. (As much as a Charming can lose it.) Snow finally demands to know the reasoning behind his choice to keep his ties to the island a secret. Their future concerns them both! At least let her see the condo before you purchase the timeshare! Snow insists that somewhere deep down, David had to know that she would happily fight Lost Boys every single day and live in a hut, if it meant they would still have their love.
Snow’s forgiveness arrives wrapped in the phrase, “I need you to believe.” Believe that their love will get them through anything. Even those humid summers in Neverland.
Skull Rock: Pan discovers that he needs to change up the way he handles Henry’s slipping allegiance to the island. Pan sends Felix on a misleading mission to tend to a prisoner. Henry follows Felix deep into the land and discovers a small tree hut, housing a bed-ridden girl. The kind heart of Henry leads him further away from his family than he can imagine. The girl reveals to Henry that her name is Wendy, and she is suffering of an illness caused by the lack of magic on the island. She begs Henry to leave her so that he does not suffer the same fate.
Pan arrives at the tree hut just after Henry hits the last rung of the ladder. He congratulates Wendy on a performance well done and tells her it is time to return to her cage. The heart of the truest believer will be in his control once again. Pan takes Henry aside and tries to explain to him that only he can help restore the island to what it once was. At the ledge of a cliff, Pan shows Henry Skull Rock. The journey there will require heroism and sacrifice, but it will also mean the salvation of the island. Henry accepts the mission and as a result, becomes Pan’s pawn once again.
Your Move: Ariel makes it back to the shores of Neverland with the message and the box. Regina upholds her end of the deal, granting Ariel the ability to walk on land whenever she chooses. Rumpelstiltskin tells Ariel to inform Belle that he loves her. Regina just rolls her eyes. Such the romantic!
On the other side of the island, Tinker Bell is reunited with the promise of an escape plan. It is now time for her to uphold her end of the bargain. It is time to get into Pan’s camp.
See what’s in store on next week’s episode:
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