Tonight we discover the lengths Snow and Charming went to so Emma would be a hero…watch a sneak peek of Once Upon a Time “Best Laid Plans,” airing at 8:00pm ET|PT on ABC.
In last week’s Once Upon a Time we finally discovered Killian (Colin O’Donoghue) and Ursula’s (Merrin Dungey) history and what role he would play in her happily ever after.
“Poor Unfortunate Soul” (season 4, episode 16) began with a flashback to Captain Hook on the Jolly Roger. He was trying to return to Neverland and searching for a way to kill the Dark One (Rumple). As they sailed, they heard a beautiful voice of a mermaid singing, luring the pirates and the ship towards it…as well as treacherous rocks. They narrowly escaped. We found out that it was young Ursula (Tiffany Boone) singing. She didn’t want to use her voice to hurt people, but her father Poseidon (Ernie Hudson) demanded it. Ursula’s mother was killed by humans and this would be their revenge.
She left her father and lived on land, spending her time singing at pubs trying to make enough money to buy passage to Glowerhaven (her mother’s favorite place to sing). One evening Killian happened to be at a pub where Ursula was singing and recognized her as being the singing mermaid. They commiserated over a drink—she told him about losing her mother and fighting with her father; he told her about losing the woman he loved and pursuing vengeance. Ursula’s singing was able to soothe Killian’s soul and in exchange, he promised to take her to Glowerhaven.
As Killian left the pub, he was seized by Poseidon’s men. Poseidon wanted Killian to use an enchanted seashell to take away Ursula’s singing voice. If she couldn’t sing because Killian took her voice, Ursula would lose her faith in humans and return to her father. Poseidon offered him squid ink that would kill the Dark One. However, Killian confessed the truth to Ursula, but what if Ursula could steal the magic to kill Rumple from her father? She was able to steal the squid ink, but before Ursula could give it to Killian, her father showed up and took it away. In retaliation, Killian used the shell to remove Ursula’s voice so Poseidon could never sink another ship again. Ursula was mad at both Killian and her father and ended up using Poseidon’s trident to transform herself into a sea witch.
In present-day Storybrooke, Ursula, the other Queens of Darkness, and Rumple (Robert Carlyle) had August (Eion Bailey) and were trying to get him to tell them what he knew about the Author. Rumple was able to use a potion to return August to his puppet self…so when they asked him a question, if he lied, his nose would grow. According to August, the Sorcerer trapped the Author behind a door somewhere in Storybrooke…the illustration of the door was in the papers Gepetto (Tony Amendola) gave to Regina (Lana Parrilla). And now Henry (Jared Gilmore) had them. Rumple, Regina, and Maleficent (Kristin Bauer van Straten) left to look for the door.
During this, Regina was able to get a message to Snow (Ginnifer Goodwin), Charming (Josh Dallas), Emma, and Killian (Jennifer Morrison) about Rumple’s plan. They discovered that Rumple had tricked Belle (Emilie de Ravin) into giving him the dagger, so they would need another plan. Killian chose to reach out to Ursula, and in exchange for telling him about the Dark One’s exact plans, he would return her happy ending. Ursula agreed and helped Killian to bring the Jolly Roger through the portal…but the ship was now tiny and in a bottle. After Will Scarlet (Michael Socha) was able to help them restore the Jolly Roger to actual size, Killian boarded the ship and gave the enchanted shell to Ursula. Unfortunately, she still wasn’t able to recover her voice. Ursula threw Killian overboard, but before he could drown, Ariel (JoAnna Garcia Swisher) saved him. (She had been trapped in the ship ever since Elsa trapped Blackbeard/Jolly Roger in the bottle for wreaking havoc in Arendelle.)
Emma, Charming, and Snow were able to save August, but before they could leave, Ursula arrived at the cabin and threatened to kill Snow. Before things got out of hand, Killian arrived…with Poseidon in tow. Only the one who enchanted the shell could free the voice, which is why it didn’t work before. Poseidon apologized and returned Ursula’s voice…beautiful father/daughter reunion and HEA! Before Ursula returned to the sea, she told Killian the truth…the only way for the villains to have their HEAs was to corrupt the Savior, Emma.
In the aftermath, Killian was distraught. It was too easy for him to fall back into the darkness. Plus, since he was a villain, the possibility of him being able to keep his happy ending was slim. But what was his HEA? “Don’t you know Emma, it’s you.” (And my CaptainSwan feelings explode!)
By the end of the episode, August had recovered and revealed that the Author was trapped INSIDE of the book. In other developments, Regina was having dreams of Robin (Sean Maguire) and feeling the need to protect him. She went to Emma for help to track him down and maybe find a way for her to contact Robin. Emma agreed to help.
In tonight’s episode “Best Laid Plans,” written by Kalinda Vazquez and Jane Espenson, directed by Ron Underwood, and guest-starring Eion Bailey as August, Abby Ross as Young Emma, and Timothy Webber as the Apprentice:
SNOW AND CHARMING MAKE A TRAGIC DECISION THAT WILL HAUNT THEM THROUGHOUT THEIR LIVES—Hook tells Emma that her fate is at stake in Gold’s plan while Regina leads the villains on a wild goose chase. Henry makes a breakthrough in his search to find the Author, but Mary Margaret and David need a moment to reconsider the best course of action. In a Fairy Tale Land flashback, Snow and Charming search for a way to ensure their child will grow-up to be a hero. When a travelling peddler directs them to visit a kindly old hermit, Snow and Charming are presented with a choice that could secure their child’s goodness, but at a price that will haunt them for years to come. (via ABC)
Take a look at a sneak peek from the upcoming show: Henry is trying to figure out how to free the Author from the book. As he’s looking at the illustration of the door, we see a light emerge from the page pointing to some answers. But then Henry is interrupted…
Something tells me that exchange between Regina and Henry was planned… And what does that key that Henry found open? Thoughts?
Thanks to TV Guide, we have another sneak peek that features Snow and Charming in a flashback. They’re trying to determine if their child will be a villain or hero, and to do so, they need to touch the horn of a unicorn:
YIKES! Well, it seems Snow and Charming’s visions reflect what Maleficent said…there really would be a chance for Emma to go either way… although now I’m nervous to see what lengths to which they’ll go to make sure Emma is a hero.
Remember to tune into ABC at 8:00pm ET|PT tonight for “Best Laid Plans” and come join me over on twitter to live tweet as we watch!
