Once Upon A Time: New York City Serenade

We start a year ago, Prince Philip rides to rendezvous with Aurora when a magic storm rolls in. When the purple smoke clears all of the residents of Storybrook are there.

Emma meets Walsh for drinks. He’s been helping Henry with his school projects and they’ve all been brilliant. They have a good dinner. When Walsh leaves the table for a moment, Hook takes his place and apologizes for his earlier action. He was trying to jog her memory. He tells her that everything that she remembers is a lie. She doesn’t believe a word that he says, he tells her to use her power to see that his words are true. He asks her to come to the address on the paper he gives her, to see he’s telling the truth, and then go to meet him at Central Park.

Aurora delivers the good news of putting down the Ogres. Snow White congratulates her on their upcoming baby. Aurora and Philip offer them anything they need, but all they need are horses they say. Snow and charming plan to go back to their castle with Regina in tow, united. They leave, and Aurora and Philip bring up someone who would be very interested in knowing of their return, and she hopes that they are strong enough to survive “her.”

Walsh proposes to Emma. Emma runs. She was completely taken by surprise by the proposal. She isn’t sure it’s the right move. But Walsh has wanted to be with her since she walked into his shop. It feels too fast she says, but he’s okay with a prolonged engagement. She asks for time to think, and he gives her all the time she needs.

Home, Emma finds Henry on the couch playing some video games. She sits down and joins him, and he asks her what she said. She doesn’t answer, and he feels sorry for Walsh.  Henry reassures her that not every man is like his father, who set her up to take the fall for his crimes, plus he’s the first guy that she’s ever dated that Henry knows of.

The group makes their way to the Charming castle. The residents are popping up all over the enchanted forest. Hook loads up on supplies. He does not plan to join the group at the castle. Somewhere out there should be his ship, and he plans to find her. Charming is disappointed that Hook hasn’t changed. He’s always been a pirate, and he always will be. Neil has an idea, with all the things returned, there is something he needs at his father’s home. Charming cautions that they need to stay away from Emma and Henry for the moment to give them the best option.

Henry tries to prepare for school, he tells Emma not to look for something wrong all the time, but something feels off with her. She breaks into the address Hook gave her. There are traces of Neil everywhere, from the dream catcher to his mail. She finds something with Henry’s name on it, something that Neil should not know.

Emma meets Hook in Central Park. He’s not there about Neil, only about her Parents being in danger. They need her help. She thinks that he’s not giving her real answers. He tells her if she wants real answers to drink the vial that he holds. He’s unsure about drinking what he’s offering her. She handcuffs him, and calls over the authorities who arrest hook.

Belle tries to comfort Neil. She tells him that he will see them again, and furthermore that Gold may not be lost. The castle lays just up ahead, but Regina is missing. Snow confronts her. She’s burying a heart, and she doesn’t want Snow to see it. She suspects its Regina’s heart, and she’s right. She tells Regina that she won’t feel better with it gone. Snow understands her feelings, she had to say goodbye to her daughter for the second time. Snow tells her to find a way to cope, that it will get better. Regina reluctantly digs up her heart and puts it back in. Away they head back towards their castle, but something is close by. Regina checks the bush, but the thing that was in it flew away. It’s a flying monkey! Snow wants to find cover, but Regina wants the monkey to fear her. The monkey makes a grab for her, and Snow pulls her from its grasp. Robin of Locksley saves the day and chases the monkey away. Robin Hood and his Merry men arrive, and let’s just say that they don’t exactly like the Queen.

Emma admits that all of her time with Neil clouded her future with Walsh. She’s willing to let herself have a good thing, and Henry is supporting her. He’s even sent Walsh a text with Emma’s phone asking him to meet her for dinner. She tells him that she has to grab something, and sends him ahead.

Emma looks over the photos from Neil’s camera. She meets Hook outside of the jail, she bailed him out. The pictures make no sense. She’s never been to Boston, or Storybrook or anywhere that the pictures show. He tells her again that if she wants the truth she has to drink the potion. But by drinking she’ll give up her entire life, and its been a good one. Hook gets through to her and she remembers everything, and even Hook, but she doesn’t look so happy to see him.

Robin joins the group, glad to see Neil. Neil tells him that he was able to find his boy, but he’s with his mother. He’s also glad to see Belle who always treated him well. Looks like Robin has caught Regina’s eye, and she him, which only makes sense since he is her soul mate. They come across a protection spell that is on the castle, it wasn’t Regina. Regina is ready to fly headlong against who ever highjacked her castle, Robin has weapons nearby so they plan to regroup first.

Hook tells Emma there wasn’t anything for him in the enchanted forest so of course he left. He received a letter. There was a new curse, and everyone was being transported back to Storybrook. He came to save Emma, no one else. Hook woke her from a good dream, and now she’s not sure how to break the news to Henry. Walsh arrives, and Hook is ready to get rid of him, but her past may be fake but his part in it is not. She goes to meet Walsh, and brings him on the roof to break his heart. She tells him that she can’t marry him, that she has to go home to take care of things. She admits that there’s a part of her life that she has been blocking out, and she has to go back. Walsh cannot accept that answer and asks her to stay, but she can’t. He tells her that he wishes she hadn’t drunken that potion, that she couldn’t leave well enough along. He goes to grab her, and flies off the roof. Walsh was a flying monkey! Emma fights off the monkey, and he falls to a poof. She was never safe.

Emma struggles with how to tell Henry the truth. Henry just wants her to be happy. He’s ready to run off to school, but its road trip tome instead. She tells him that they’re leaving now, and Hook arrives. Henry asks about Killian’s attire, and they have some little jabs at each other. There’s only one more thing before Emma can head off that she needs, her trusty leather jacket.

The three drive in Emma’s bug to Storybrook. It’s back, and she’s back. Last time the curse took everyone’s memories, and now there’s no telling what it did. Emma leaves Hook with Henry and go to find her parents. Charming remembers Emma. The last year is gone, whipped away, they only know that a year has passed and they can’t leave. Snow is very pregnant.

In the Enchanted Forest the culprit is revealed. The monkey has gotten the Queens Blood and delivered it to the Wicked Witch, who’s bent on revenge.