by Tracy Ladd:
Once Upon a Time Recap: “True North”
Original Air Date (ABC): Sunday January 15, 2012
Season 1 Episode 9
This latest episode breaks away from the main characters again and introduces us to the story of Hansel and Gretel (aka Nicholas and Ava). The telling of their story however gives us the opportunity to learn just a little bit more about Emma’s past, which fleshes out her character ever more.
The episode starts off in Storybrooke where Henry is in the drugstore looking at a comic book. A young girl approaches and begins talking to him. Henry’s at that awkward age and doesn’t quite know how to talk to her, but despite that, she asks him if he wants to hang out with her and her brother. As they set to leave the drugstore, the owner, Mr. Clarke (aka Sneezy) stops Henry because he thinks Henry is shoplifting. Turns out that the Ava only talked to Henry so that Nicholas could stash items in Henry’s backpack.
In Fairytale Land, we see the two children in the forest collecting wood with their father (played by the always awesome Nicholas Lea from The X-Files). He gives Gretel his compass and tells them to go gather kindling for a fire. After they fill the cart, they head back only to find their father is gone.
Regina shows up at the drugstore to proclaim her son’s innocence and tells Emma to do her job and arrest the two children. Emma sees that the kids were stealing food and toothpaste and tries to find out what’s happening at home. She drops them off at their house, but finds the kids squatting in the basement of an abandoned home. After she takes them home with her, she tells Mary Margaret that their mother is dead and their father is non-existent. Emma knows that their situation is dire and vows to not let them be raised in the foster system like she was. Emma tells MM that she’s going to find their father because that’s the only way they’ll get to stay together. However, after meeting with Regina, Emma finds out that Regina has already contacted the state and Emma is to take them to two separate homes in Boston.
In Fairytale Land the kids search the forest for their father, but once on the road, they cross paths with the Evil Queen and her guards. Gretel shows her mettle and fends off one of the guards and the kids run back into the forest only to be stopped by EQ. She tells the kids that she’ll reunite them with their father if they do a favor for her. They much break in to the blind witch’s house, and steal an artifact that EQ needs to defeat a powerful enemy. EQ leads them to the witch’s house and warns them that no matter how much they may be tempted, don’t eat anything. That would be hard to do since the house is made up of yummy, delicious treats.
As Emma continues with her research to find the kid’s father, Henry shows up at the station telling her that they’re Hansel and Gretel. He then asks about his father. Emma tells him that his father was a fire fighter who died trying to save a family. Henry asks if she kept anything of his, but Emma tells him no, but that does give her an idea.
She asks the kids if they have anything of their parents. Ava gives Emma the compass that their mother always had thinking it was their father’s. Emma takes it to Mr. Gold who tells her he sold to someone years earlier. Mr. Gold says that he keeps excellent records but hesitates in giving her the name off the index card he pulled out. Emma asks his price, and he says his price is forgiveness. She counters by telling him “how about tolerance.” He tells her that the man’s name is Michael Tillman, but after he leaves, we see that there wasn’t anything written on the card at all. One more clue that Mr. Gold knows more than just what’s on the surface.
Hansel and Gretel wait until dark, then they sneak into the witch’s house. Laid out before then is a table chock full of treats that they must resist. As Gretel gets the satchel, Hansel just can’t resist, and takes a big bite from a cupcake. The witch immediately wakes up and comments on how she smells dinner. Just then, the came reveals a pile of bones in front of the hearth.
Emma tracks down Michael Tillman and finds he’s a struggling mechanic who runs a garage in town. She tells him about the kids and shows him the compass that he confirms was his, but says he’s in no position to be a father. She tells him about her situation with Henry, but no dice, he tells her sorry but he just can’t.
Emma heads back home and tells Mary Margaret that the kid’s father doesn’t want them and now she’s going to have to take them to Boston. She also tells MM that she lied to Henry about his father because the truth is apparently pretty ugly.
The witch locks up Hansel and Gretel asking them “butter or gravy”. As she takes Gretel from the cage, they kids are able to get the upper hand. They push the witch into the oven, and escape, all while the Evil Queen watches in the mirror. She throws a flame through the mirror, killing the witch.
The kids are brought back to the castle where they give EQ the satchel. Inside of it is a big ass red apple. THE red apple. EQ is pleased with their success and offers to let them live with her in the castle. Gretel declines and tells her that they just want to be reunited with their father. Confused as to why they would turn down such a generous offer, she casts them back to the forest.
As EQ watches Snow in the mirror, the Woodsman is brought in. He asks about his children and Regina tells him that they declined her offer and asks him why they would do that. He tells her because they are family and family always finds each other. She lets him go telling him that they can be together again if they can find each other.
Emma loads the kids up in the cruiser and heads to Boston. Just as she’s about the leave the city limits the engine stalls. She calls for a tow truck and who shows up? Michael Tillman. As he approaches, the needle on Ava’s compass starts to spin and point in the direction the truck is coming from. Micheal gets out of the truck and sees the kids in the back of the car. Emma tells him that she just wanted him to see them. Something clicks once he does and he tells Emma that she doesn’t have to take them to Boston. Awwww! Happy ending for the kids!
Emma heads home and tells MM that Michael took his kids home. MM asks her about finding her own parents and Emma tells her that Henry’s theory is that MM is her mother. They both kind of blow it off and Emma leaves to go get some air. MM spies Emma’s baby blanket, and comments on how pretty it is. I thought for sure that the minute she smelled it something would happen, but alas….nothing did.
Emma is sitting outside in the cruiser looking over what appears to be her own file when Henry comes up with a piece of pumpkin pie for her. She seemed to be on the verge of telling him something about her father but doesn’t. Henry tells her that she’s changing things. Just then, an out-of-towner pulls up on a motorcycle and asks where he can get a room. Emma sends him down to Granny’s and says that she didn’t catch his name. He responds by saying that he didn’t give it and he takes off.
So, just who is this new guy anyway? My guess is that he’s the Big Bad Wolf. Whoever he is, he’s the guy who played Ben Mercer on Covert Affairs. I think he’s going to throw a wrench in the machine that is Storybrooke. Henry mentioned previously that no one new ever comes to town and no one leaves. I guess Emma is changing things. Next week it looks like we’ll get back to the Snow White storyline and by the looks of the previews, Regina is none too happy about an outsider arriving in Storybrooke.
Any theories on the new guy? Let me know in the comments.
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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