Once Upon a Time sets the final stages of Operation Cobra in motion. Only this time, they are fighting the clock running against Henry’s life. Read our full recap below!
Once Upon a Time season 3, episode 9 “Save Henry” tackles the final task of escaping Neverland. Saving Henry has been priority number one since their arrival on the island, but Henry’s time may be running out faster than they had anticipated. Will they get Henry, and a few other boys, away from Pan’s grasp in time?
Something is Missing: At the start of the curse, Rumpel reminds Regina that the Savior still holds the power to overthrow it. Regina admits that she has it all now, what more could she need from the creepy man behind bars? Rumpel warns her that she will return to him one day seeking a remedy to fill the hole in her heart.
The Que…The Mayor: Eleven years ago, Regina begins to feel the pangs of emptiness in her position of power. This missing piece, a child, places Regina on a mission. However, she needs Gold’s help getting around the adoption wait list. Gold helps her out, but cautions her that when she becomes a parent, she should consider that she will be putting a child first.
Regina travels to Boston on the news that a baby has become available for adoption. The only warning the agency offers Regina is that the family has opted for a complete blackout concerning their lives. Convinced that she only needs the future, Regina takes her baby boy in her arms and names him after her father, Henry.
Cry, baby, cry! Henry proves to be quite the fussy infant and Regina is not able to soothe him. Unable to get any information from his past, Regina calls in a few favors to get the illegal deed accomplished. Unfortunately, the baby is only uncooperative for Regina. Perhaps he senses a bit of hostility in her blood?
A Mother’s Instinct: Emma, Neal, and Regina try to keep Henry alive after a brutal attack by Pan. Regina tries to get Emma to understand that Henry may call them both ‘Mom,’ but Emma has more in her life to lean on. Regina has Henry and only Henry. They realize that Pan will only be defeated if they all work together to hunt him down and kill him.
Emma tries to talk to the Lost Boys, convincing them that she will bring them all home to families if they cooperate. The boys, despite Felix’s protest, reveal that Pan is in his Thinking Tree. Neal takes charge of Henry, while Hook takes the boys and prepares the Jolly Roger. The rest begin to go after Pan and retrieve Henry’s heart.
At Pan’s Thinking Tree, the girls are berated by Pan after they are captured by a tree that feeds off of regret. Luckily for the ladies, Regina is unable to find any regret in her life. (Odd…) She breaks free of the tree and grabs Henry’s heart from Pan’s chest and the box holding Rumpelstiltskin.
A Minor Detail: In the flashback, Regina finally gets Henry to settle down, only to discover the information that will eventually destroy her. Regina storms into Gold’s shop and accuses him of setting her up with the child of the Savior. There is only one flaw in her accusation: Gold does not recall anything from the Fairy Tale land that was. Or does he?
Regina returns to Boston with Henry in tow ready to give him up to new parents. However, when she is left alone with him in the office, Regina realizes that she needs him in her life. But there is a twist. The other parents trying to adopt Henry from Regina are none other than the Darling brothers!
Regina worries about the future where a mother comes to take her son away from her. Fate, after all, is a force that may rip him away someday. She takes Henry and tells him a fairytale about a Queen who drinks a potion to remove the memories of her past.
All Hands on Deck: Regina restores Henry’s heart just in the nick of time. Below deck, Regina tucks Henry in and casts a spell on his heart to protect it. As she goes out of the room, Pan appears once more and apologizes for what is about to happen.
Up on deck, Rumpel is released from the box and reunites with Bae, who takes to calling him Papa. Rumpel goes downstairs to find Pan trying to rip Henry’s shadow from him. Luckily, blood magic works both ways and he captures Pan in Pandora’s box. David unleashes the shadow and Regina captures him into the sail. The crew heads home to Storybrooke.
Tinker Bell, Wendy, the Lost Boys, David, Emma, and everyone else is on board and ready for a new beginning together. Everyone may still have a bit of work to do trusting each other, but the common thread, believing, may keep them alive.
A Twinkle in the Eye: For a brief moment as Pan is captured, Henry and Pan share a glimmer in their eyes. Henry approaches Felix and begins to say things like, “Pan never fails.” That third person attitude is all it takes to prove that Pan is indeed free and living in Henry’s body.
How is that for a twist?! What will result from this switch once the crew arrive in Storybrooke?
Watch Once Upon a Time season 3, episode 10 “The New Neverland” Sunday, December 8 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC