Once Upon A Time Recap S3E19: A Curious Thing

A cloaked rider rides through the forest. Regina isn’t happy that Snow and Charming have gathered the entire kingdom together when there is a wicked witch out there waiting to pounce and she tells them that in front of Aurora and Prince Phillip. David thinks that there is nothing with rallying their people, but Regina finds announcing Snow’s pregnancy to be of little consequence compared to what they’re up against. The rider is Belle, she tells the others that Neil resurrected his father, but she thinks that Neil is dead, telling them that Rumpelstiltskin absorbed him to save him from death and the witch.  Zelena got a hold of the dagger. Aurora thinks that maybe Regina is right, but Snow doesn’t want to give into fear. They need to give the people hope, and David points out that they don’t even know what the witch wants, but they do. Aurora and Phillip tell them that Zelena wants Snow’s baby, that she thinks the baby is important. Zelena arrives and makes good on her promise, she turn the pair into flying monkeys, and they fly off. Zelena freezes Snow, and David when he goes to defend her. Regina steps in, wanting to put the fight between them, but Zelena freezes her too. She strokes Snow’s distended belly, the child will do just fine. She reminds Snow to take care of the baby and she flies off on her broomstick, unfreezing the trio in the process.

Eight Months Later. Grumpy arrives advising what he’s found. He’s been to see Blue and Tink, and has nothing to show for it. Snow laments, again she’s about to give birth, and again her child is in danger. Regina reminds her that last time she was after Snow herself, that everyone else was just collateral damage. Grumpy isn’t sure why they forgave her, but Regina is helping. She asks Snow how she got the upper hand last time. Rumpelstiltskin was tantamount in her victory. Grumpy doesn’t believe his ears, that they want to sneak into Rumple’s castle where he’s being held captive, and take on the wicked witch. Snow thinks that it may around stupid, but it may work. Regina asks Belle, since she was held captive there before, but she doesn’t know how to break in. Robin does. He’s a thief and he knows his way around the traps. Regina reasons that the traps can’t be more dangerous than her magic, but he knows they can be if they aren’t seen. She still thinks that he cannot be trusted, and shouldn’t come, but Snow outvotes her, and Robin is coming.

Now, Regina kisses Robin in the hall. She doesn’t understand what he sees in her. He figures it’s the same that she sees in her, a second chance. She can’t wait to see what it all is like when she has her heart back, she can still feel, just not fully. He doesn’t need her explanation; he has one for the both of them. Henry walks in on them kissing again, and she pulls away greeting him. He gives her little notice, and it breaks her heart a little as he goes to find her mirror. Robin pulls her back in for another kiss, wishing her good luck.

Regina meets with Snow, David and Emma, with a smile on her face. The others are a little surprised by her happiness. She brushes it off, and gets down to business. Emma tells her that they are waiting for Hook, but Regina doesn’t have time to wait, she gets started without him. They have to figure out how to destroy Zelena. Emma doesn’t think that all the pieces fit into place. There is no reason for all of them to be in Storybrook. Regina reasons that maybe something in this world is needed to cast the spell that has never worked in theirs. Regina is more puzzled by the fact that Zelena was able to cast the curse in the first place, to cast it she needed to sacrifice the thing that she loved the most, and there isn’t much that Zelena loves. Emma combats that theory with the fact that Regina was able to cast it before too. David wonders if maybe they found a way to defeat Zelena before, and Snow picks up the thought. Coming back to Storybrook without their memories was how she kept them from interfering. Getting their memories back is what they need to do. Last time all Emma had to do was believe in magic and kiss Henry to break the curse. Regina thinks that it’s Henry that needs to believe this time, that’s what’s missing. In this new life Henry doesn’t believe. Last time Emma started to believe because of the book of Storybrook that Henry had, and they need that again. The book got Henry to believe, and that’s what started him on his path. They need him to remember, and Emma doesn’t think that’s a gift. There were so many bad memories, but some good ones too. Although reluctant, Emma agrees.

A car arrives for Zelena. It’s Gold, and inside Hook is in her trunk. She caresses his lips with her rose. She asks why he hasn’t used his precious lips to take Emma’s magic. He wants to be countered he quips. Zelena tells him that if Snow’s baby is born before Emma loses her magic then she’s going to have to take more drastic measures, and start killing people that Emma loves, starting with Henry. Zelena throws the rose at him, warning Hook to take Emma’s magic or the next rose will be on the little brat’s grave.

Regina approaches a door, but Robin cautions her against it. Regina proceeds forward, not heeding his warning, and Robin fires an arrow into the door. He saves Regina from getting fried by a spell, but she’s less than grateful. Once the group gets into the room, they find that Rumpelstiltskin is back, but he’s lost his mind. Not lost he says but has two. Charming thinks he’s a lost cause, but Belle wants to try to get through to him. She talks to him, and he has a lucid moment, Rumplestilskin tells her that the way to defeat Zelena is with light magic. He tells them that they must seek out Glenda the Good, a witch from the south who would be able to help them on their journey.

The group sees that they have to find the book, they just have no clue where it is. It showed up in the past when they really needed it, more importantly when Henry really needed it, it was just suddenly in Snow’s closet. The group set out to check the closet, and Emma blows off Henry yet again. She refuses to really answer his questions, and uses the “because I’m your mother” as reasoning. He asks for her keys, having forgotten his own, and she gives him her before she runs off. Hook catches Henry trying to take Emma’s car. He has no good explanation for being there, and Hook knows that he’s running away. It’s too dangerous Hook tells him, but Hook is running too.

David, Snow, Regina and Emma search through Snow’s closet. Snow has lost of shoes, and sweaters. She finds the book. Regina and David go see what they can find from the book. Snow asks Emma what has been going on. Emma admits that she doesn’t plan on getting Henry’s memories back unless she has to, Henry had a good life, one that was less complicated.

David gives Snow a flower for good luck. Regina isn’t happy that the Charmings have stopped to smell the flowers. A door that leads to nowhere is in the forest. Snow goes through the portal without a problem, and David follows her, but Regina finds that she cannot go through. Only a person good of heart can go. Inside the door the Charmings find Glenda, but she says that her magic is not powerful enough to defeat Zelena, it never has been. Zelena was born of great magic, and Glenda gave her a pendant to focus her power. Her power now resides in the pendant, if they could remove it they could defeat her, but it must be someone with great light magic. Emma is one born of true love, she is powerful enough to do it, but she isn’t in that land. Snow thinks they only have one option, to invoke the dark curse.

Regina does not believe what she is hearing from the Charmings. There is no way for Regina to enact the curse, she would need to kill the thing that she loved the most. When Regina broke the curse so that they could escape Neverland a wall went up between the realms. The dark curse is the only way back. David reasons that Snow can cast the curse, she can sacrifice him to do so, but Snow refuses. They will find another way to save the world.

Hook introduces Henry to Mr. Smee. He’s going to New York, and he would be happy to take him Hook tells him. Henry doesn’t understand why Hook is helping him, when a flying monkey approaches. Hook holds off the flying monkey while he tells Smee and Henry to run. He kills the first few monkeys, but runs out of bullets. Luckily the cavalry has arrived. The group disposes of the monkeys in short order. Henry doesn’t understand why his mother has a sword, or anything that is happening. Emma confesses everything, handing Henry the book. She asks him to believe in her, and he does. He takes the book and he remembers everything. It’s a happy reunion until Zelena takes Henry, throwing Regina to the side. Because Hook failed her, she’s taking Henry’s life. She strangles Henry, and Emma uses her own magic against Zelena. Zelena is forced to release Henry, but Regina stays down.

Past. Regina mixes up the curse. It’s ready. Snow still believes that there is another way, but Regina knows that there isn’t. If there was another way Regina would have used it to get back to Henry. David tells Snow that there is no other way, and she worries about their baby growing up without a father. He tells her that the baby will know him, and his love every time she looks at him. Regina removes David’s heart, and Snow says her goodbye as she crushes David’s heart. Zelena arrives, telling them that they enacted the curse, and killed David for nothing. The curse cannot be stopped, but Zelena twisted the curse, added the forgetting spell. Without their memories, Zelena figures that they won’t know who or what the threat is, and have no way of stopping her.

Henry awakens Regina. She promises to never let him go, and she she kisses him, promising to never let him go, the spell is broken. They retrieve all their memories. It wasn’t Emma this time, it was Regina. They remember that they were the ones that cast the curse, that Zelena could be killed by light magic, and Emma had to be the one to do it. Emma asks if they cast the curse, and paid the price how are they both still alive.

Snow remembers David’s words. They have been of one heart since he awoke her. She asks Regina to split her heart and give David the other half so that he will live. Regina isn’t sure if that will work, but Snow believes, she knows it has to. Regina is reluctant, but she removes Snow’s heart. Snow lies back onto the ground next to David. She splits the heart in two, and places half in each of them. It takes a few moments, but David is back, Snow’s faith made the split work, and David lives.

Henry gushes to Regina about his year in New York, wanting to catch up on everything. She wants to hear all about his year, but he’s more interested in hearing about the guy kissing his mom. She tells him about Robin Hood, who just happens to arrive. They had a rocky year, and she found him more likable in Storybrook.

Emma confronts Hook about Zelena’s plan. He tells her that he did his best to thwart her plans. Trying to get Henry away was his idea not Zelena’s to keep him safe. He finally admits that Zelena cursed his lips, hoping to steal Emma’s magic. Emma feels betrayed, that he kept this from her. She can’t trust him, and the Charmings tell her that she definitely cannot trust him. The Charmings didn’t send any message to him either, and Hook has no clue who else could have sent it.

Zelena mixes up a potion, but Rumpelstiltskin tells her that she failed, but she’s planned ahead. She’s mixed up a potion to preserve her memories. She gives Rumpelstiltskin one too, caring not if he takes it or not. Memories are pain he says, but he chooses to take it anyways. Neil pulls out of his father’s body before he can take the potion, and sends it via dove to Hook on the Jolly Roger before he goes back inside of Rumpelstiltskin’s body.

Emma and Henry visit Neil’s grave. He really did sacrifice everything for them. Henry asks if it was hard to come back, and it was, but there was a voice that urged her on, and she had to listen to it. Snow goes into labor.