Once Upon a Time
The episode opens in Storybrooke, where Ariel and Belle have gone looking for Prince Eric. They find him, and he and Ariel immediately start making out... despite the fact that, technically, they met exactly once back in the Enchanted Forest. Because, you know, True Love and all that stuff that the show keeps talking about on a regular basis.
As they continue to make out, Belle hears something about them and looks up. Only to see a flying ship appear out of nowhere and burst through the protective shield she helped set up.
Ariel: What's that?
Belle: He's back.
The ship lands, and everyone hurries off of it. There's immediately a flurry of hugs and kiss and the like.
Belle: I told you I'd see you again.
Rumpelstiltskin: That's the last time I don't listen to you.
Neal comes up and greets Belle, and then he hands his father his cane. Rumpelstiltskin he needs it as a reminder of who he was and who he won't be again.
The Darlings have a happy reunion, as does Neal when he meets John and Michael again. Presumably the brothers must have spent some time in Neverland at some point, because Wendy doesn't seem surprised that they've aged while she hasn't (nor does she have any difficulty in recognizing them).
Everyone's having happy reunions except for Regina. Snow notices, and she raises her voice to tell everyone that they couldn't have made it back without Regina's help.
Cut to the aftermath of Charming and Snow's wedding. Snow is extremely upset over Regina's appearance, while Charming does his best to convince her that they should go away on their honeymoon and not think about Regina for a few days because there's nothing she can do to hurt them right then.
She gives in and tells him that she's always dreamed of going to the summer palace where she used to go as a child with her husband. He happily agrees to go there with her.
After Charming leaves to go make preparations, Grumpy walks up and asks if she really plans on going on her honeymoon right then.
"I think there's something at the summer palace that will help us beat her once and for all.
Back in Storybrooke, Rumpelstiltskin explains to the others that as long as Pan is trapped in Pandora's box his shadow should remain trapped in the sail of the Hook's ship.
Panry plays the scared boy and convinces them to take Felix to jail to be locked up.
Later, at his shop, Rumpelstiltskin places Pandora's box in the floor and puts a spell on it so that no one can get it out.
"As long as I'm alive, that boy will not see the light of day."
Cut to later. Rumpelstiltskin has changed out of his old clothes and back into his usual suit and tie, with some help from Belle.
Belle: So, what now?
Rumpelstiltskin: Well, that's a question I haven't had to ask myself. I didn't think I had a future.
Belle: But you do. The boy wasn't your undoing, and neither was Pan. So now you can stop worrying about prophecies and start thinking about your future. There's endless possibilities. Countless paths to take.
Rumpelstiltskin: But there's only one of those paths I'm interested in.
Belle: Which one's that?
Rumpelstiltskin: The one where you and I are together.
And then they have a rather impressive kiss.
Meanwhile, at Granny's, everyone is celebrating.
Emma gives Panry the storybook, and he stares blankly at it. He brushes it off, but she gets the feeling that something's wrong.
At the bar, Neal comes up and sits beside Hook.
"I don't think they serve rum at Granny's."
Hook: I made a decision when it comes to Emma. I'm gonna back off.
Neal: Back off?
Hook: For the sake of the boy. Let his parents have a fair shot without a devilishly handsome pirate standing in the way.
Neal: You serious?
Hook: Yeah, I am devilishly handsome.
Hook then tells him that he's in it for the long haul, so if it doesn't work out between him and Emma because of their past then he's not giving up.
Regina and Tink come walking in and go straight to the Blue Fairy. Regina tells her to give Tink back her wings, because she's earned them, but the Blue Fairy asks how she can believe in Tink if Tink can't even believe in herself.
Neal tries to arrange a date with Emma, but she tries to evade it. He tells her he'll be at Granny's tomorrow, and she's welcome to join him. If she doesn't, he'll take that as a "no" and stop asking.
Back in the past, Charming's excited about their honeymoon. He very quickly tries to get to the fun part.
Snow: Not so fast.
Charming: Between breaking the sleeping curse, taking back the kingdom, and seven dwarfs breathing down our necks it's not like we've had a lot of time on our own.
Snow: I know, but I have something special planned for tonight.
Charming: What's wrong with right now?
Snow: Trust me, what I have in mind is worth the wait.
He goes to stable the horses. While he's gone, Snow grabs some weapons from a dusty old trunk and heads out the nearest window.
She goes running through the forest... only to be stopped by Charming waiting for her.
"So... what exactly am I waiting for?"
Charming recognized the look on her face and knew she was up to something.
When Snow was a child, the servants at the palace used to tell stories about a creature that could turn people to stone living in a nearby cave. Medusa. She wants to find it to use that power against Regina.
She doesn't have any idea how, but she'll get to that part later.
Charming: I'm not letting my wife venture into the woods to chase a monster. At least not alone.
Snow: You mean-- ?
Charming: Yes. I'm coming with you. You're obviously not going to relax until we find a weapon to use against Regina.
Snow brought Charming's sword with her. She knew he'd probably figure it out and want to come with her.
Back in Storybrooke, Panry asks if he can go home with Regina instead of Emma for the night. Regina's happily surprised, and -- while Emma's a little worried -- she doesn't tell him "no."
At Regina's house, Panry tries to convince Regina he's scared of Pan and that she should use the magic in her vault to help protect him. He's obviously wanting to get inside it for some reason. She tells him that magic isn't always the answer.
Elsewhere, Pan's shadow is freed from the sail.
In the past, Charming and Snow are still making their way toward Medusa's cave.
Snow: You aren't mad, are you?
Charming: I fell in love with you on a troll bridge after you robbed me and hit me over the head with a rock. I knew what I was getting myself into.
Charming asks Snow if she really wants to go through with this just before they find the cave.
Back in Storybrooke, Rumpelstiltskin shows up at Granny's and puts a vial down in front of David. It's the cure that he promised.
David's skeptical about Rumpelstiltskin not charging him anything for the cure, but Rumpelstiltskin tells him that it's on the house. Then he pauses for a second before adding just one little thing...
"But we are family now so I'm sure should I ever need a favor you'd be more than receptive."
The look that David and Snow share is kind of adorable. He's trying, but Rumpelstiltskin wouldn't be Rumpelstiltskin without throwing in something at the end.
David drinks the elixir and Snow asks him how he feels. His response is to lean over the table and kiss her.
Snow: What are you thinking?
David: Well, I'm thinking maybe we can finally start on that baby.
[Snow's face suddenly goes blank.]
David: Okay, I didn't mean right now.
Snow: Emma didn't listen to us.
[David looks over his shoulder to see Neal sitting at a table, alone.]
Yes, show, we're all aware that the actors who play Charming and Snow are engaged in real life and expecting their first child. We're all going to be very surprised if they don't announce very shortly that Snow is pregnant.
David goes to find Emma and convince her to at least give Neal a chance. She tells him that the issue isn't with Neal, it's with Henry. She can't shake the feeling that something's wrong.
David: Life is made up of moments. Good ones, bad ones, but they're all worth living.
Emma: Well, I seem to be a magnet for the bad ones.
David: Well then, all the more reason to look for the good moments in between the bad ones.
Emma: And you think having lunch with Neal would be a good moment.
David: I don't know. Does he eat with his mouth open?
I love that they're trying to build on Emma and David's relationship. She was already friends with Mary Margaret before the Curse was broken, and she got the chance to bond with Snow in the Enchanted Forest. But during the Curse, Emma and David didn't know each other nearly as well, and they haven't had as many bonding moments as she and Snow have (or even as many as David and Henry have had).
Emma: Sure you don't have other reasons for pushing me toward Neal?
David: Like what?
Emma: I don't know, keeping me away from Hook?
David: You think I'm interested in Hook? Emma, I'm a married man.
Meanwhile, Hook shows up to try and convince Tink to help him take his mind of Emma. She doesn't seem very impressed by his attempt.
"I may have lost my wings, but I haven't lost my dignity."
And, of course, they're interrupted by screams.
... huh. I actually didn't see that coming. Pan's shadow just killed the Blue Fairy, presumably for plot-related purposes that will be made apparent eventually.
In the past, Charming and Snow's attempts to cut off Medusa's head don't go very well. In fact, they go pretty damn badly because it ends with Charming being turned into stone.
Everyone splits up to try to stop Pan's shadow. Regina goes off with Panry, in an attempt to protect Henry. Emma tries to tell Regina she's worried something might be up with him, but Regina doesn't want to listen.
Regina takes him to her vault. That's obviously not going to end well.
Back in the Enchanted Forest, the paper wrapped around a shield has come off, revealing the reflective surface underneath. Regina taunts Snow from it, telling her that she didn't have to destroy Snow's happiness... Snow has destroyed it herself.
Snow uses the shield as a mirror. Medusa sees her reflection and turns to stone, which turns Charming back into flesh and blood.
In Storybrooke, Rumpelstiltskin and Belle are just leaving his shop as everyone comes running up to them. They tell him they want to open Pandora's box; he obviously doesn't think that's going to be a good idea.
Then Emma tells him there's a way to stop Pan forever, and he acknowledges that he wouldn't complain about permanent measures like that.
They end up taking the box to the town line. The plan is to open it right there, so that Pan comes out outside Storybrooke -- where there's no magic. Then Emma will shoot him.
Of course, things don't go quite as planned when they let Henry!Pan out and he immediately calls Emma "Mom." She asks him questions that only Henry would know, referring to life being made up of moments from her earlier talk with David, convincing everyone that he is who he claims to be.
"If he's all the way out here, where's Pan?"
In Regina's vault, Panry tells Regina he's lucky to have her to protect him. They hug... and he grabs something from a nearby shelf that knocks her unconscious.
Regina: I love you.
Panry: I know. That's why this was so easy.
In the Enchanted Forest, Snow tells Charming why she wanted to turn Regina to stone. She wants to start a family, and she's scared about bringing their child into a world where Regina wants them destroyed.
Cut back to Storybrooke.
"When we find Pan, remember he's still in my body. So if you have to throw a fireball or something, at least avoid the face?"
Everyone comes rushing up to Regina's vault, where Neal, Hook, and Tink are already trying (and failing) to get inside. Rumpelstiltskin tries, but he realizes it's magically shut so it's going to take some effort for even him to get the doors open.
They make it inside the vault, and Snow immediately rushes over to check on Regina. Rumpelstiltskin leans down and wakes her up.
Regina: I wanted to believe what he was saying so badly I missed all the signs. I just wanted to believe he still needed me to be his mother.
Henry!Pan: I still do.
Henry!Pan hugs her, which is both adorable and disconcerting at the same time. Just like it has been every other time he's hugged someone.
"So what exactly did Pan come down here to get?"
Rumpelstiltskin is trying to find out just that, and he jerks back from an empty box on a shelf. Everyone else looks on, worried. They know it's not a good sign if he's reacting that way.
Rumpelstiltskin: Please tell me you didn't keep it down here?
Regina: Where else would I keep it?
It's the Curse. Panry stole the Curse.
"What exactly would casting the Curse in Storybrooke do now?"
Panry broken Felix out of jail, theoretically so that the two of them can co-rule once they cast the Curse again. Personally, I expect he's thinking about the "kill the person you love most" clause, except it's totally not going to work with Felix's heart and more than it did with the heart of Regina's prize horse.
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