The Heroes and Villains are both on a quest to find the Author! Get a sneak peek of the Once Upon a Time season 4 mid-season premiere, airing tonight at 8:00pm ET|PT on ABC.
Once Upon a Time returns tonight’s with all new episodes after an almost three month hiatus, and like my fellow Oncers, I’m SO ready to get back to Storybrooke!
If you’ll recall from the winter finale, there’s lots to be scared/nervous/excited about. We finally said farewell to our Frozen friends—Auntie Ingrid (Elizabeth Mitchell) had redeemed herself with a self-sacrifice to end the Spell of Shattered Sight. And now that the ice wall was down Elsa (Georgina Haig), Anna (Elizabeth Lail), and Kristoff (Scott Michael Foster) were ready to return to Arendelle, especially after it was revealed that Prince Hans (Scott Michael Foster) had assumed the throne. As they walked through the portal, (the one Rumple [Robert Carlyle] and Killian [Colin O’Donoghue] found at the Sorcerer’s lake house) Anna revealed that she knew Rumple and his plan to cleave himself from the dagger so he could leave town with his power in tact.
Meanwhile, in flashbacks, Rumple returned from a trip to Camelot, where he obtained a magic gauntlet that could locate anyone’s greatest weakness/the thing they love most. As Belle (Emilie de Ravin) was doing chores, she was lured away by a dalmatian puppy and kidnapped (as you probably guessed) by Cruella De Vil (Victoria Smurfit), Maleficent (Kristin Bauer van Straten), and Ursula (Merrin Dungey). The Queens of Darkness wanted the magic gauntlet, which the Dark One gave them, in exchange for Belle’s return…or so we thought.
Back in Storybrooke, Rumple still had Killian’s heart and was using him to spy on the others. He was pretty upset that the Snow Queen hadn’t gone through with her plan…how would Rumple be able to leave Storybrooke now? Well, the Sorcerer’s hat still provided his way out, and that night, when the stars in the sky aligned with the stars in the Sorcerer’s hat, they would make their exit. In the mean time, Rumple woke Belle so she could prepare for their trip around the world, starting with New York City. As she and Henry (Jared Gilmore) were looking for another suitcase, Belle came across the magic gauntlet and was surprised to see it again.
While Rumple activated the Sorcerer’s hat and was about to crush Killian’s heart, Belle came to stop him (wielding the real dagger that the gauntlet led her to). She realized Rumple’s true love was really power and that he would never change. So Belle commanded Rumple across the town-line (such an emotional scene…lots of tears from Belle, Rumple, and ME).
Elsewhere, Regina (Lana Parrilla) returned Marian’s (Christie Laing) heart to her body and lamented the reunion with Robin (Sean Maguire). However, Marian confronted Regina to say she realized Robin had moved on and would step aside. All seemed well with OutlawQueen until they found out that Marian was still sick and the only way to save her was to send her across the town-line into the real world. Of course, she couldn’t go alone—so Robin, Roland, and Marian all left and could never come back. *sidenote* Regina and Robin’s farewell was SO emotional. She was determined to be strong and do what was best for the others, no matter what it cost her personally. And THAT KISS! This couldn’t really be the end of OutlawQueen, right?
By the end of the finale, Emma (Jennifer Morrison) returned Hook’s heart to his chest (CaptainSwan feels); Emma and Henry went back to the lake house and promised to help Regina find the Sorcerer/Author (SwanQueen/Operation Mongoose FTW); and in present-day NYC, Rumple found Ursula in an aquarium and asked for help because he was trying to find the Author as well.
In tonight’s mid-season premiere episode, “Darkness on the Edge of Town,” written by Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, directed by Jon Amiel, and guest-starring Merrin Dungey as Ursula, Victoria Smurfit as Cruella De Vil, and Kristin Bauer van Straten as Maleficent:
With Gold banished from town, the residents of Storybrooke attempt to resume their normal lives. Hook and Belle search for a way to release the fairies from the Sorcerer’s hat, while Emma, Henry and Regina continue to look for clues that could lead them to the Author. But when a terrifying darkness descends on the town, Emma and Regina are forced to confront the true nature of evil. Meanwhile, in New York, Gold and Ursula enlist Cruella De Vil to join their cause. (via ABC)
Well, it’s great to hear that Operation Mongoose is still in full effect! But it seems Emma, Regina, and Henry will have some competition because Rumple and the Queens of Darkness are also on a quest to obtain their HEAs.
Take a look at these images from the upcoming show—I’m so glad to see the my CaptainSwan ship still sails and they’re having a romantic dinner together. And it’s also nice that the rest of the (extended) family and Storybrooke are trying to move on in the aftermath of the Spell of Shattered Sight.
As you can see, Gold, Ursula, Cruella (and soon Maleficent) will be up to something! And this preview reveals that Emma might be key to whatever plan their trying to execute. According to Rumple, there’s only one way for the Evil Queens to get their happily ever afters, and that’s by corrupting the heart of a hero—EMMA! And from the looks of things, Emma looks ready to take a walk on the dark-side:
Oh my…did you see Emma’s smile at the end?! I wonder what the Queens of Darkness had to say to convince her to come with them…?
Make sure to tune into ABC at 8:00pm ET|PT for “Darkness on the Edge of Town” and join me to live tweet as we watch!
Also keep in mind that right before the mid-season premiere, the Once Upon a Time: Secrets of Storybrooke special will air at 7:00pm and take us behind-the-scenes of our favorite fairy tale worlds:
Go behind the scenes with #OnceUponATime! Watch Once Upon A Time: The Secrets of Storybrooke TONIGHT at 7|6c on ABC! https://t.co/7QPXkZHQ6k
— Once Upon A Time (@OnceABC) March 1, 2015
