by Tracy Ladd:
Once Upon a Time Recap: “The Return”
Original Air Date (ABC): Sunday April 22, 2012
Season 1 Episode 19
After a two-week hiatus, I’m happy that Once Upon a Time is finally back. We’re promised all new episodes through the end of the season, which sadly is only a short three weeks away. The last episode was all about Regina and explained how and why she because the Evil Queen that we all know and love to hate. We finally know about the secret that Snow spilled and the reason why she’s the target of the Queen’s hatred. On the heels of answers, come more questions this week.Just when you think you know something, your theory gets turned on its ear and new questions arise. I guess that’s no surprise considering just who is behind this show. It is from the same people who racked our brains with Lost after all. This week we’re treated to another episode penned by the great Jane Espenson. Her episodes tend to be very character driven and The Return is no exception. She’s got a great handle on Rumpelstiltskin and that shines through here once again.
Fairytale Land
In FTL, Baelfire, Rumpelstiltskin’s son, is out playing with a ball. He runs to catch it, but ends up getting knocked over by a horse, injuring his leg. The guy directing the horse scolds Baelfire, until he realizes who he is. Rump comes out and demands to know what’s going on. Baelfire tries to convince his father that it’s no big deal, but Rump being the dark one and all, turns the man who injured his son into a snail and steps on him. Bae tells his father that he doesn’t like what he’s turning into and wants him to make things like they were. Rumpelstiltskin promises to give up his power, if Bae finds a way that doesn’t involve his death. The deal has been struck and they shake on it.
Later on, Rump has business in the forest and sends Bae to go play with his friends. Problem is, no one wants to play with him and they all scatter when he approaches. He ends up just sitting on a log by himself when a girl he knows sits next to him. She tells him that she’s not scared of him because she saw what Rumpelstiltskin did to end the Ogre wars. She also tells him that he should seek the help of the blue fairy if he needs help from a great power. Once his father approaches she runs off and Bae finds out that Rump wielded his power yet again and not in the name of good.
Fed up, Bae heads back into the forest and summons the Blue Fairy. She tells him that she knows he has a dark presence in his life and offers him the last magical bean in existence. She tells him to use it wisely and it will take him to a place where magic doesn’t exist.
Bae gets his father and the two go back into the forest where Bae throws the bean on the ground. A green vortex opens up and Bae tells his father that they have to jump in it. Rumpelstiltskin turns back to his cowardly ways and breaks his promise, which Bae points out. Bae gets sucked in and the vortex closes. Rumpelstiltskin is left there with nothing but his cowardice to keep him company, then decides too late that he wants to go. He summons the Blue Fairy for help but she tells him that there is nothing she can do. When he mentions that there must be something, a curse, to find Bae she stumbles and he has his answer. A curse it is. Now we know the real reason behind the curse.
Storybrooke
In the land of Storybrooke, August wakes up in his room and is suffering from some sort of tremor or seizure or something. He phones someone, we don’t know who, and tells them that they need to readjust the timeline because it’s taking too long. See? More questions.
August and Henry are plotting something for Operation Cobra and August sends Henry in to Mr. Gold’s shop to distract him. While Henry is keeping him busy, August enters through the back looking for something. Mr. Gold appears and August claims that he thought he came through the entrance. Mr. Gold is immediately suspicious.
Kathryn is in the hospital and Emma shows up to ask her questions about her disappearance. Kathryn tells her that she was in a basement with food and water and they also found out that she was drugged. She can’t give any type of description however because she never saw anyone else.
Meanwhile, all those clues that were pointing to Mary Margaret are turning in Regina’s direction and she’s none too pleased. Regina rails on Mr. Gold about their deal, but Mr. Gold tells her that he did his part of their agreement. Guess this means that Regina should really read the fine print.
David visits Kathryn in the hospital and apologizes to her for everything. She forgives him and tells him that it’s ok that he saw the fact that they weren’t right for each other before she did. He then heads to Mary Margaret’s where a Welcome Home party is taking place. Emma answers the door but won’t let him in and sends him to take Henry home. Mr. Gold wants answers about August, but Emma doesn’t have any to give.
Mr. Gold does research of his own and breaks into August’s room. He finds a blank piece of paper in the typewriter, and a sketch of Rumpelstiltskin’s dagger. Naturally, Mr. Gold is convinced that August is there to kill him.
Emma meets up with Sidney at the diner and confronts him about the bug that he planted. At first he tries to deny it, but Emma doesn’t buy it. He keeps telling her that Regina is a good mayor and whatnot and Emma realizes that Sidney is in love with Regina, which is why he’ll do anything for her. Emma tells him that she’s going to find the evidence regarding Kathryn’s kidnapping, and when she does,both Sidney and Regina are in for a world of hurt.
Mr. Gold follows August and finds that he went to talk to the Mother Superior. Mr. Gold threatens to double their rent if she doesn’t spill the beans about August. She tells him that he was seeking guidance because he has found his father after a long separation. Mr. Gold looks a bit stunned because….could it be……could August be Bae? On a sidenote, now we know why Rumpelstiltskin hates the fairies and Mr. Gold doesn’t like the nuns. It’s all because of that magic bean.
David tries to talk to Mary Margaret and apologizes for not believing her. She can’t get past it even when he tells her he loves her. She tells him that the world doesn’t want them to be together because every time they try, something poisons their relationship.
Mr. Gold seeks help from Archie which was a bit of a shock. He explains that he had a son and he let him go years ago and he thinks that his son is back now and he’s not sure what to do. Archie tells him to just be honest and maybe his son is looking for a sign that it’s ok to approach. Mr. Gold takes the advice and approaches August at the abandoned cabin. It seems like a happy father – son reunion and Mr. Gold asks him why he’s looking for the dagger. August tells him he needs to see if Gold has actually changed. Mr. Gold tells him that he buried the dagger when Emma arrived because things were changing and he didn’t want it to fall into Regina’s hands. He tells August where it is and has him dig it up. Things seem to be going fine until August tries to command power over Mr. Gold. It’s at this point that Gold knows August isn’t his son because Bae would know that magic doesn’t work in Storybrooke.
Gold questions him on pretending to be Bae and August asks if he even looks like him. Gold tells him that no one knows about the knife and August tells him that no one remembers. He tells Gold that he’s sick and is going to die and that he was trying to get Emma to believe because she’s the key. Gold tells August that Emma trusts him and he should try again.
Emma arrives back at her office where Regina is there to provide her with a confession. Of course it’s not hers however and Regina tells Sidney to tell Emma what he told her. Naturally, he confesses everything about Kathryn’s abduction. Emma takes Regina out into the hall and tells her that she knows Sidney’s story is BS and that she doesn’t care what happens to Regina or to herself. All she cares about is Henry. She also throws down the gauntlet telling Regina “I’m taking back my son!” Hell yeah! There’s going to be a bitch-fight coming and I can’t wait.
Three episodes left until the season is over and while this episode made us think that August was Bae, and then squashing that idea, next week’s episode almost makes it look like he’s actually Pinocchio. Which to me just seems odd, but I’ll reserve judgement until I know for sure.
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.
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