Once Upon a Time Recap: “7:15 A.M.”

by Tracy Ladd:

Once Upon a Time Recap: “7:15 A.M.”
Original Air Date (ABC): Sunday January 22, 2012
Season 1 Episode 10

This week’s episode was frustrating, intriguing, sad and somewhat satisfying all in one.  Those crafty writers managed to give us two worlds that share the same theme, yet go in complete opposite directions of each other.  This is the first episode since Graham’s death where I was internally rooting for something.  And yes, I’m still bitter about Graham.  But, this new stranger that rolled into town is a nice distraction.  The episode starts off with said stranger working on his bike when Henry approaches and starts asking him questions.  The stranger is clever however and answers them without actually answering them.  Regina walks out her front door to see the two and she instantly gets concerned.  I think her concern is more about the fact that no one knows who this stranger is than Henry’s safety.  As Regina approaches the two, the stranger rides off with his mysterious box on the back of the bike.

Meanwhile, Mary Margaret is rushing around the house getting ready to leave.  When Emma questions why she’s leaving early, she says she’s helping the kids at school build a volcano for the science fair but really she wants to get to the diner by 7:15 because that’s when David comes in to get coffee.  Seems that she hasn’t taken her own advice of staying away from him.  Sure enough, David comes in to get coffee, sees Mary Margaret and the two share an awkward exchange before he goes back to his wife, who happens to be waiting in the car.  Once again Mary Margaret feels like crap.  Emma catches her at the diner and says that perhaps she shouldn’t show up tomorrow.

In FTL, Snow is hunting wild turkey but just before she throws her spear, Red shows up with a basket of food for her.  Red also has the news that Charming’s wedding to Abigail will take place in two days.  Snow wants to find a way to get him out of her head so Red reluctantly gives her Rumpelstiltskin’s name.

Desperate to be rid of her feelings, Snow seeks out Rumpelstiltskin and tells him her troubles.  He whips up a potion for her to take which will make her forget about Charming.  His payment?  A strand of her hair.  Not sure what that’s all about, but it can’t be good.

Charming’s (James) “father”, King George knows that James’ heart lies with someone else but tells him to forget about her and go through with the wedding to Abigail so that their kingdom will be rich again.  After the King takes his leave, James sits down an writes a letter to Snow and sends it off using a dove.

Mary Margaret is at the drugstore picking up a few things and literally runs into Kathryn.  The contents of their baskets end up on the floor and both begin to pick up each others belongings.  MM sees a pregnancy test and assumes that Kathryn and David are trying to start a family.  Distraught, MM takes a walk into the forest and finds a dove that has been ensnared in a net.  Of course she has to take it to the animal shelter where David works.

The vet tells MM that the dove will be fine but she needs to get back to her flock or she’ll be depressed since doves are monogamous.  Determined, MM heads back out to the forest to return to the dove, but declines David’s help.

Meanwhile, Emma is preparing for the big storm that is headed their way when Regina approaches her and asks her to look into the stranger.  Regina tells her about how she saw him outside of her home talking to Henry, which of course, makes Emma agree to check him out.

In FTL, Snow is just about to drink the potion when James’ dove arrives with the letter.  He tells her how he can’t stop thinking about her and begs her to come to him at the castle.  If she doesn’t, he’ll know her answer.  Of course she’s going to go!  But it won’t be easy.

Mary Margaret heads into the forest and pulls her hood over her head.  Snow White heads into the castle pretending to deliver flowers for James’ wedding, and pulls her hood over her head.  Snow makes it all the way to James’ chamber, but before she reveals herself, she’s caught by a guard and thrown in a cell.  Determined to get free, she starts looking for a way to break out when she notices someone in the cell next to her.  It’s Grumpy.  He tells her his story of love gone tragic and false imprisonment when the 8th dwarf, Stealthy, shows up to spring him.  Snow tells him good luck and feeling bad, Grumpy breaks her out as well.

MM is caught up in the storm and loses her footing and almost falls off a cliff.  She’s dangling from an exposed tree root, when David pulls her to safety.  Of course he wasn’t going to abide by her wishes.

In FTL, Snow splits from Grumpy and Stealthy.  The dwarfs take a different route and end up getting caught.  Stealthy takes an arrow to the chest and dies.  Just as Grumpy is about to take a sword to the neck, Snow shows up and makes a deal for his life.  Grumpy runs off and Snow has a meeting with the King.

David and Mary Margaret run to a deserted cabin to wait out the storm.  David builds a fire to get MM warm.  It looks as though the wall between them is about to come down when David leans in to kiss her.  Just before it happens, MM drops the bomb that she knows Kathryn thinks she may be pregnant and tells him about the pregnancy test.  This is all news to David and he tells her that they aren’t trying.

Meanwhile, Emma sees the stranger in the diner and starts to question him.  She wants to know what’s in the box.  It’s at this point that all I could think of was the end of Seven when Brad Pitt screams/cries “WHAT’S IN THE BOOOOOOOX??”  He tells her that he’s not going to tell her and every day she sees it, her curiosity and frustration will grow.  Or she could agree to have a drink with him and he’ll show her then and there.  She agrees to the drink and he opens the box to reveal a typewriter.  He tells her that he’s a writer and closes up the box and leaves.  She asks about the drink and he replies that he said sometime he’d buy her a drink.

The rain finally stops and MM takes the dove to find the flock with David in tow.  They find flock and MM sets the dove free.  David tells her he feels like he has two lives that conflict with each other.  He tells her that he has memories of his feelings for Kathryn, but he also has these real feelings for her.

In FTL, the King tells Snow that he knows about the letter and that love is a disease and she can’t be with James.  He tells her that she’s going to walk down the hall to James’ chamber and tell him that she never loved him.  If she doesn’t, he’ll have James killed.  Knowing that it’s the only way to save him, Snow does just that.  It was actually a rather heartbreaking scene and I felt really bad for them both.

Kathryn tells David that she thought she was pregnant but she’s not.  She wants to start a family though and suggests that they go see Dr. Hopper to get help.  He agrees and decides to have breakfast at home so he doesn’t run into MM.

Snow is in the forest and looks back on the castle.  The seven dwarfs emerge from the woods and gather around her.  She tells Grumpy that she found him but lost him.  He tells her that she’ll come with them, and that they all lost someone tonight.  He tells her that she’s not alone.  She despairs and tells him of the potion she intends to drink.  He tells her not to.  And not to forget James.  She agrees to not drink it, and heads out with them.

Mary Margaret sits at the table while Emma eats breakfast.  Emma looks at the clock and notices that MM isn’t going to the diner and offers her a hand for comfort.

In FTL, James rides up to the spot where Snow met with Red.  Red is there and tells him that she’s gone.  He tells her that he called off his wedding and he must find her.  She smiles and must have gotten word to Grumpy.  Grumpy rushes into their cabin and tells Snow that James didn’t get married.  With a confused look, Snow says “Who?” and the camera pulls back to reveal the empty potion bottle.  D’OH!

In Storybrooke, Mary Margaret is getting coffee at the diner when David walks in.  He sees her and turns around and immediately walks out.  She rushes after him asking what he’s doing.  He says that he came later because he’s trying not to see her.  She says that she’s trying to do the same.  David tells her that Kathryn isn’t pregnant.  After a bit of a pause he grabs her and kisses her.  FINALLY!  However it’s not all kittens and rainbows because Regina is watching from her car.  And once again…..D’OH!

So Mary Margaret and David finally lip lock, but Snow went the opposite direction. I really liked how the writers concocted this episode.  I love the introduction of the dwarfs.  I also like that we got to see Ruby as Red and not just scene filler in the diner.  I’m curious about Red’s story however because Snow referenced how she helped Red when no one else would.  What’s all that about?

As for the stranger, we still don’t have a name.  My theory on him being the big bad wolf isn’t as strong with me this week.  That whole typewriter thing really threw m for a loop.  He’s a writer, but did he have a hand in the book that Henry has?  Hopefully we’ll get some answers soon.

Next week it looks like Emma is mad as hell and isn’t going to take Regina’s crap anymore.  We’ll see how all that shakes out.

DarkMedia contributor Tracy Ladd has been writing about film since her days on the her high school newspaper. Even though she took a decade or two off to explore other things, she’s back to doing what she loves. She also bakes, can knit a pretty nifty scarf and makes lightsaber sounds with her knitting needles. Or chopsticks. Especially with the lightsaber chopsticks.

You can find her on Facebook, on Twitter @ReelGoddess, and on her website The Reel Goddess.