Once Upon A Time In Wonderland Recap S1E12: To Catch A Thief

The Knave is a wreck, with Anastasia dead he’s utterly broken. Jafar tells him that she risked so much to get him back. He says that she almost looks like she’s asleep, like one could just reach out and kiss her. Jafar’s torture continues, as he strokes her glass coffin. His father wishes that he learned mercy. Jafar knows the cold sting of loss, and gives him a chance to bring Anastasia back, to see her again. Jafar’s father tells him not to listen, but Jafar knows that with his heart returned he will listen.

Some time ago, Will chattered away as he and a group hunted for a beast. Although he didn’t stop talking for a moment, he was paying attention. The men split up as they chase for this beast, that looks like a running woman. The Knave finds himself separated from the group, and after a tumble down the hill finds himself under the murderer’s blade. It’s Alice, and their first meeting. After some witty banter, Alice runs off, but it isn’t the last time they will meet.

Cyrus doesn’t think Alice understands, which she does, but doesn’t agree. To defeat Jafar they must free his brothers, to do that they must return the water to the well of Wonders, which he thinks is in Jafar’s staff. Alice thinks that they should free his mother first, but Cyrus does not dare upset Nyx again, he would put his own life in jeopardy, but not his life with Alice. Alice accepts his plan, but wishes to set off immediately. Will arrives, and Alice runs to him. He looks broken, and he tells her that Anastasia is dead, and Jafar restored his heart before he did it. Alice tells him that she and Cyrus is there for him. Will tells her that Wonderland can bring Anastasia back to life, but they have to let Jafar win.

Past, Alice sleeps on the ground as the Knave draws near. With a dagger in hand, he walks into her trap. It’s very uncomfortable, and Alice hopes that he has learned his lesson, but he has not. She wonders why she continues to spare his life, when he’s trying to take hers. He’s been wondering the same thing given her history. She tells him that she was trying to pick a weeping willow from the Queen’s garden. He believes her, but he still has to kill her he says. He has no choice but to do her bidding since she took his heart. It makes a predicament for Alice. She can’t leave him there, and she can’t have him keep trying to kill her. She plans to steal his heart back, which he laughs over, saying that she’s not much of a thief. Although she’s gotten the drop on him twice, he chalks it up to chance not skill. He tells her that his heart is in the Queen’s vault guarded by her best, and asks why she would bother helping him. She tells him that everyone deserves a second chance.

He repeats her words now. This is Anastasia’s second chance. If they give Jafar back his staff, he will change the laws of magic, something that they’ve been trying to stop. Cyrus tells him that they cannot. Alice thinks it’s a horrible plan, but they have nothing else. She asks Will to think, even if Jafar kept his end of the bargain, which he isn’t likely to do, Ana may be alive, but many more would die. Alice tells him that she would do anything for him, but she cannot do that. Will tells her that she’s right, he was thinking with his heart and not his head. They invite him to come along, and he agrees for one last adventure before he is put back into his bottle. As they set out, he keeps his eyes on the staff.

The Jabberwocky tells Jafar that everyone’s fear smells different, his smells like pine nettles in the snow. She tries to distract him so she can take the blade, but he grabs it before she can. She tells him that if he is tired of her that he should just give her the blade so she can go, but he won’t let her go until he’s completed the spell. She feels his fear that he won’t be able to, that he needs another sorcerer to do so, and she feels his fear over his staff’s betrayal thinking it has something to do with Amara. Jafar tells her that she mistakes curiosity for fear. Jafar tells her that she wears her fear on her sleeve. She fears that Jafar will not live up to his end of the bargain and she’ll be his as long as they live. He tells her that if she were to help his fears not come to pass, he can do the same for hers.

Alice and Cyrus sleep as Will watches the fire. His eyes rest on the staff, and he lays his hand on it. Cyrus cautions him to not steal the staff, because it would break Alice’s heart. Cyrus wants him to go back to bed, to pretend that it didn’t happen, but Cyrus isn’t good at pretending, and knocks Cyrus out.

Past. Alice watches the guards at the vault, She knows’ they’re routine, and she easily sneaks their keys and enters the vault with little trouble. More troublesome is the amount of drawers in the vault. Each of the drawers is numbered like a deck of cards, and Alice remembering the Knaves words that he is a jack of all trades chooses the Jack of Hearts drawer. She opens it and finds the Knave’s heart.

Cyrus wakes up Alice. She sees that the Knave is gone, but they’re not sure exactly how long he was gone. Alice apologizes for the Knave, but Cyrus sees nothing wrong with putting her trust in a friend. Will messed up though, and left them the compass, so they can track him and ask nicely for the staff back.

Jafar pulls out his genie bottles. He summons the brothers. The younger asks what he wants, but he says that he doesn’t want anything. The older asks why he would summon them now, when he never has in the past. He’s summoned them because he is curious. A woman, Amara told him about genies, and the boys claim to not know her. Jafar tells them that she was searching for them for a long time, but the elder maintains that many others had too. Jafar needs nothing else from them, he just wanted to get a look at them he says.

Will runs through the woods, trying to get back to Jafar, but he’s lost. Alice and Cyrus follows his erratic zig zags. Cyrus thinks that he’s taking a strange route, but Alice knows that navigation was never his strong suite. The pair spot Will, and split up after the Knave. Alice’s course ends just short of a drop into the fast moving water below. The Knave comes up from behind her, and disarms her. He’s not as clumsy as he use to be. He looks at her regretfully. She asks him what is next. He tells her that it may not make any sense, but he does love her, that he finally got his heart back, and she’s asking him not to use it. Will reminds her that he went to the ends of the earth for her and Cyrus, risked his neck for her, and yet she won’t let him do the same. He asks her not to go after him, tells her that her love story isn’t the only one worth fighting for. He leaves, and the ground gives way under her. He hears her cries, and he jumps in after her.

Will and Alice dry off next to a fire. Alice remarks that he saved her. She would have done the same for him, she had. She thought that he couldn’t swim. He tells her that he doesn’t know how to lose her either, and given the proper motivation there’s no telling what he can do. Alice tells him that he was right. Through thick and thin he stood by her until she got Cyrus back, that the best thieves don’t work alone. She tells him that he has to fight for his own love story, and that he isn’t alone.

Past. The Knave continues to try to get out of Alice’s trap when she returns and cuts him free. She tells him that she has his heart, but he still feels the need to kill her. He offers her a head start, but she’s not leaving. She tells him that she wants him to stop trying to kill her, and she discovers with his heart in her hands she can control him. She tells him to stand on one foot, and he does. She has him flap his arms, and he does. She asks him to help her show her father she’s not crazy, to show that Wonderland is real, and the two set off on a new partnership.

Will, Cyrus and Alice continue on together. Will offers Cyrus a free swing at him, to put his conscious at ease, but Cyrus doesn’t want to. Alice stops the men from chattering. The forest is too quiet, the Jabberwocky is near. She blows out their flames, and Alice calls out to the Jabberwocky. The torches reignite. She’s not digging around in their heads, and she tells the trio that Jafar did not send her. The Jabberwocky is looking for a new partnership, she desires freedom, but Alice isn’t interested in negotiating with her. The Jabberwocky tells her not to be a fool, or she could end up like Anastacia. Will calls her a monster. The Jabberwocky wasn’t born a monster but made one. She tells them that with Jafar gone fear will leave the land and with nothing to eat she will be forced to leave as well. Everyone gets what they want, but that isnt’ all they want. Alice raises the bar, they want the Queen back as well, but that is one thing the Jabberwocky cannot give, but looking at the staff she tells her that it can.

Past. Alice and the Knave enjoy some pints. Alice beats him in a drinking contest. She doesn’t like to drink, but she does like to win. He notes that she could be making him do anything she wanted and she’s making him come out with her for pints. She’s holding onto the only thing she has left, her father, so if that makes her a terrible person, he wishes everyone was as terrible as her. Alice isn’t sure why she needs to find proof after all these years. Will tells her that he grew up with a very stubborn girl, his sister Penelope, and they’re the best kinds of girls. Penelope fell into the lake, but he thinks had she grown up she would have been like Alice. Alice knows what it’s like to lose someone, and decides that it isn’t right to hold his heart hostage. She gives it back to him, just like that. She’ll find her proof on her own. He stops her from leaving, reminding her that the best thieves don’t work alone.

Alice and Will pull a grate as Alice counts. The Knave quiets down to keep from distracting her.

The Jabberwocky returns with Cyrus in tow to Jafar. She tells him that he could be very valuable. Jafar sees that it could be true. Cyrus spits upon him. Jafar wants his staff back and asks again where it is. Cyrus tells him that the stick is long gone. Jafar asks for the truth. The Jabberwocky tells him that Cyrus dears the consequences, but is telling the truth. Jafar thinks it’s a good thing that he has Cyrus then, because he can retrieve the Knave at any time. The Jabberwocky asks what about her, but Jafar has no intentions of letting her go yet.

In the dungeon, Alice and the Knave wait. Alice asks if it is too hard to be there with Anastasia so close. Will says that it’s good for him. He warns her that they don’t have to do this, that its dangerous, but neither are turning back now. The Knave goes to pay his respects, and guards see him. He runs through the palace as the guards follow. Alice rushes in and steals the keys to Jafar’s father’s cell. They want him to help them make sure that Jafar never hurts anyone again. The father says he will help. Jafar mentions how odd it must be for a genie to be outside of his bottle, asks if it’s disconcerting to be suddenly turned to sand. Will leads the guards on a merry chase, but they have him corned. He knows at any moment he’ll be summoned back, in fact he’s counting on it as the guards close in on him. Jafar summons Will, and he materializes in front of Jafar. Jafar uses his powers to choke Will, asking where his staff is. His staff, now back as Amara is right behind him, and he does not look happy to see her. Amara isn’t any happier to see him. She breaks his hold on Will, and wishes to leave the boys out of it. He sends Will back to his bottle. She tells him that she didn’t teach him all of her tricks as she sends the throne flying towards him. Alice and Jafar’s father run into a group of guards. He tells her that there are too many, but Alice takes them all on and wins. She had a very good teacher in Cyrus.

Past. Alice and the Knave battle some palace guards. Alice isn’t all that good with a sword, and she gets lucky when she throws one into the garden wall, and it ensnares him. She tells the Knave to follow suit and he does, leaping in time to retrieve her satchel holding the rabbit before it’s taken by the vines of the wall. Will tells Alice to take the rabbit and get out of Wonderland while he distracts the guards. She asks what about never working alone, but he knows that she won’t be alone for long. A great girl like her has a happy ending around the corner.

Now. It’s a sorcerer showdown in the throne room. Amara brings down the chandelier from above, and turns them into a nest of snakes. Jafar defeats them easy enough. He tells her that she’s grown lazy, and she remarks that he should have destroyed her when he had the chance, but he needs two sorcerers to do his spell. She has no intention of helping him, and the battle will only stop when one of them is dead. She breaks a mirror, and hurls the shards at Jafar. It’s a standoff, with mirror shards floating between them. Cyrus makes it to the lamps. He has both in hand. Jafar tells Amara that he finally realizes what she was after, not power, but family. He throws a shard towards Cyrus, where it strikes his chest. The mirror pieces fall, as does Alice. She feels the blow to his chest. Jafar pulls the mirror from his chest. Amara goes to her son, Alice rushes towards the throne room. The only way for Amara to save Cyrus will be to change the laws of magic. He asks her if she is ready to do what is necessary to get what she wants. Alice arrives, and finds Amara and Jafar working their magic, and Cyrus’s body upon the floor. Jafar’s eyes light up with power. Is it too late? Can there be a happy ending to the story? Next week’s Series Finale hopefully has the answers.