Season 1, Episode 16:
Heart of Darkness
Centric Characters: Snow White, Prince Charming
Previous: Red-Handed | Next: Hat Trick
Prince Charming: I would rather die than let you fill your heart with darkness.
Mary Margaret: I can't pay you anything.
Mr. Gold: I didn't ask for money.
Mary Margaret: Then why are you doing this?
Mr. Gold: Let's just say, I'm invested in your future.
Mr. Gold: I didn't ask for money.
Mary Margaret: Then why are you doing this?
Mr. Gold: Let's just say, I'm invested in your future.
FLASHBACK! King George's men catch up with Charming and Red at their campsite. Charming flees on horseback as Red throws off her cloak and attacks the soldiers in werewolf form.
Emma takes Mary Margaret's mugshots at the police station, insisting that even though she doesn't really think that Mary Margaret killed Kathryn, she has to do her job and treat Mary Margaret as a suspect so Regina won't fire Emma and replace her with a puppet that won't have qualms about destroying Mary Margaret.
FLASHBACK! The dwarves' call Jiminy Cricket in to lead an intervention for Snow White, who has become a very nasty person since taking Rumplestiltskin's potion, leaving only resentment for the Queen's murder of her father and attempted murder of Snow herself. Jiminy pleads with Snow to not take out her wrath on her friends, inspiring her to take action and go after the Queen once and for all. Not really what Jiminy was going for.
Emma begins Mary Margaret's interrogation, with Regina present to make sure Emma stays impartial. Emma begins by asking if Mary Margaret had ever been to the Toll Bridge the heart was found at, and when she affirms that she had asks why she went there. Mary Margaret admits on the recording that she had an affair with David and isn't proud of it. Emma shows Mary Margaret the box the heart was found in to see if she recognizes it, and it turns out that it's Mary Margaret's jewelry box. Regina offers some passive-aggressive sympathy when Mary Margaret insists that she's innocent, prompting Emma to take Regina outside to talk. Regina states that it doesn't make sense for the jewelry box to be used by anyone else since there wasn't a break-in at the apartment, and tells Emma that a broken heart can make people do "unspeakable things".
FLASHBACK! Snow ambushes one of the Queen's guards out on patrol and threatens him with a dwarf pickaxe to tell her the Queen's whereabouts, and he reveals that she's going to her summer palace the following morning. Snow knocks out the guard and takes his uniform to disguise herself. Grumpy arrives to try to talk Snow out of her plan, before asking that she go with him to see Rumplestiltskin to see if he can reverse the potion's effects, and Snow agrees to go when Grumpy mentions that the sorcerer "can do anything".
Emma inspects the apartment for signs of a break-in, and Henry shows up to help. Emma agrees with him that someone is trying to frame Mary Margaret but she's lost as to who that could be, since no one has a motive, though Henry suggests that Regina does since "she hates Snow White". Emma suddenly hears something rattling in the vent, and pulls out a hunter's knife wrapped in newspaper.
Henry goes to mope at Granny's since Mary Margaret is in more trouble now, and August comes over to chat. August tells Henry that he shares Henry's beliefs about the storybook and the real reason he's come to town is to help convince Emma, but for that to happen Emma needs proof. Henry's doubtful, bringing up how poorly the last time he searched for proof went, but August suggests that he try to find something in the book itself.
FLASHBACK! Prince Charming follows tracks and finds the guard Snow assaulted, who tells him of Snow's plan to kill the Queen.
David visits Regina to tell her his theory that he may have killed Kathryn during one of his blackouts, but Regina assures him that that isn't the case as she's still convinced that Mary Margaret is the true killer, even if David can't imagine her doing such an evil thing.
Mary Margaret is in distress as Emma explains the knife, and Emma suggests that she get a lawyer. Right on cue, Mr. Gold shows up to offer his legal services, reminding the two that he's a good enough lawyer to have gotten himself out of trouble for assaulting Moe French. Emma doesn't trust his shady tactics but Mary Margaret decides that she'll take what she can get and accepts his help until Emma can find evidence to absolve her. Mary Margaret tells Gold that she can't afford to pay him but he excuses her, saying that he's "invested in her future".
FLASHBACK! Rumplestiltskin tells Grumpy that the damage is done and there is no way to restore Snow's love which the potion stripped her of, explaining that love is the most powerful magic and the only one he has yet to bottle. But Rumplestiltskin knows that that's not why Snow came to see him. Snow asks for his help in killing the Queen, and he gives her a magical bow that cannot miss and the perfect point to snipe the Queen while en route to the summer palace. Rumplestiltskin tells Snow that she doesn't have to make a payment for this one, because he's "invested in her future".
David goes to Dr. Hopper's office to see if he can help recover the memories of what David did during his blackouts.
FLASHBACK! Charming arrives at the Dark Castle to demand answers from Rumplestiltskin, who tells him everything about the potion. David asks where Snow has gone, and Rumplestiltskin explains her plan to assassinate the Queen in exchange for Charming's cloak. Rumplestiltskin warns Charming that although the potion's effect can be broken with True Love's Kiss, if he doesn't do it before the Queen dies then Snow will be as evil as she is.
Charming catches up to Snow and forcefully kisses her to try to break the spell, but it doesn't work and she throws him to the ground, knocking him out.
Henry meets Emma as she's returning to the apartment and presents her with Regina's ring of creepy skull keys, explaining that she used them to enter Mary Margaret's apartment as the storybook says they can unlock any door. Emma doesn't buy it as Henry tries the first two creepy skull keys in the lock. Henry insists that Emma try a key before they give up, and Emma is stunned as a creepy skull key unlocks the door.
FLASHBACK! Charming wakes up tied to a tree. Snow knows that he's the man she forgot and tells him that the kiss didn't work because she doesn't love him anymore. Charming begs her to not kill the Queen as she walks off.
Dr. Hopper does a hypnosis therapy with David to try to recover his memories. David recalls the last time he spoke to Kathryn, where she said she was hurt but wanted him to be happy with Mary Margaret. He then mentions that he remembers seeing Mary Margaret in the woods, before having a flashback of himself shouting after Snow, who he thinks is Mary Margaret, that she "can't kill her". Shocked by this sudden revelation, David runs from Dr. Hopper's office.
FLASHBACK! Jiminy Cricket arrives to help Charming, freeing him from his bonds and suggesting that he try to get Snow to remember who she is rather than him.
Snow follows the Queen's royal procession, and as she fires the shot Charming jumps out and takes the arrow to his shoulder. Snow is mad at first until Charming tells her that he would rather die than "see her fill her heart with darkness. Charming's words touch Snow, since she's never had anyone be willing to die for her. They share a true True Love's Kiss and the spell is broken, just in time for King George's men to arrive and kill the moment, taking Charming away but leaving Snow since George doesn't care about her. Snow calls after Charming that she will always find him.
David visits Mary Margaret at the police office holding cells and tells her about his memory, which makes him less sure of her innocence. Hurt and angry that he could suspect her when she stood by him when he was the prime suspect, Mary Margaret tells David to leave.
FLASHBACK! Snow returns to the dwarves' cottage to apologize to them, showing them that she's returned to her old self. She tells them of her new plan to rescue Charming from King George, and the dwarves gear up to join her.
The next morning, Mary Margaret makes her bed in the holding cell and finds a creepy skull key hidden under the mattress which she discovers can unlock the cell door. Mary Margaret hides the key as Emma comes with breakfast and bad news: the DNA test on the heart returned and confirmed that it's Kathryn's. Emma tells Mary Margaret that she thinks Regina is trying to frame her, and asks Mary Margaret to trust her as she tries to find a way to expose her for real this time.
Emma goes to Mr. Gold at his shop to ask for his help in going against Regina, since the only victory Emma had against her is when Gold was backing her.
Gold: Are you willing to go as far as it takes?
Emma: Farther.
Gold: Now we're talking.
Emma: Farther.
Gold: Now we're talking.
FLASHBACK! Rumplestiltskin picks a hair off Charming's cloak, dropping it into a bottle with Snow's hair, where they begin to glow and intertwine. Rumplestiltskin adds it to his collection of bottle magics, having captured True Love at last.
At the police office, Mary Margaret has fled her cell.
Tropes
- Absurdly Sharp Blade: Snow threatens a guard with a dwarf pick-ax, which can cut diamonds.
- Arc Words: The phrase "evil isn't born, it's made" is first introduced here.
- The Chessmaster: Once again, we see just how clever Rumplestiltskin was. A seemingly mundane trade of a map for a cloak turns out to give him the final ingredient for a True Love Potion. Meanwhile in Storybrooke, Gold plays both sides for his own gain by offering his services as a lawyer to Mary Margaret (presumably because he believes she can help Emma break the curse) and agreeing to help Emma prove Regina is behind everything, while also ultimately being the one behind Kathryn's disappearance.
- One might wonder why he would encourage Snow White to kill the Queen, since he needs her to cast the Dark Curse for him. But it could very well be that he counted on Charming to show up so he could stop her and restore her to herselfnote . And if that failed, it's entirely possible a Snow White with a darkened heart could have been convinced to cast the curse instead. So no matter what, Rumple still wins.
- Cliffhanger: Once again, multiple examples. In the Enchanted Forest Charming gets kidnapped by King George's men, while Snow White (with newly-restored memories and heart) joins up with the Seven Dwarves for a Big Damn Heroes moment to come to the rescue. Meanwhile in Storybrooke Emma, convinced Regina is behind the Frameup, makes a deal with Gold to uncover the truth while Mary Margaret uses the skeleton key to escape her cell and make a run for it.
- The Conscience: Jiminy makes his first flashback appearance since his Origin Story, acting to get Snow White to stop hurting her friends and herself.
- Couch Gag: The title card features Jiminy Cricket.
- Deal with the Devil: In order to prove Regina framed Mary Margaret and save her life, Emma is willing to work with Gold and do whatever it takes to win. To add to the disturbing nature of the moment, some of their dialogue parallels when Rumple tested Regina's resolve in using the Dark Curse in "The Thing You Love Most".Gold: Then are you willing to go as far as it takes?Emma: Farther.Gold, with a dark smile: Now we're talking.
- Double-Meaning Title: Aside from the Literary Allusion Title below, it refers to both Kathryn's heart and how it points to Mary Margaret supposedly murdering her, and to what Snow became like under the influence of the forgetfulness potion as her quest to kill the Evil Queen brought her close to darkness (as pointed out by Jiminy).
- Double Standard: Once again, Mary Margaret is being treated differently than David—only now instead of being the only one blamed for their affair, she's the one more people are believing killed Kathryn. Worse, David himself (erroneously) blames her, and she has to rightfully call him on his lack of faith vs. hers.
- Dramatic Irony:
- David telling Regina, when she implies he may not know Mary Margaret or her darker side as well as he thinks, that she doesn't know what evil is.
- There's also lots of ironies when switching back and forth between past and present, where people keep claiming Mary Margaret could never do what she's been accused of even as we see Snow White under the influence of the potion doing some rather horrible, cruel things.
- The biggest is when under hypnosis David thinks his memories of Snow going to kill the Evil Queen mean Mary Margaret did kill Kathryn.
- Faux Affably Evil: Regina acts like this toward Mary Margaret during her questioning.
- First Kiss: Snow White and Prince Charming have their first kiss. Doubles as True Love's Kiss as it breaks the spell/potion on Snow as well.
- Foregone Conclusion: Snow White won't actually kill the Queen, of course.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Charming makes one by taking the arrow for the Evil Queen, in order to save Snow "because I'd rather die than let you fill your heart with darkness." Subverted when this convinces her to kiss him, breaking the spell and restoring her memories, then Double Subverted when King George's men are able to catch up with him and take him prisoner (pulling the arrow out in the process).
- Literary Allusion Title: To the Joseph Conrad novella, naturally.
- Meaningful Echo: "Let's just say I'm invested in your future."
- Mythology Gag: In the Enchanted Forest flashback, Snow is first seen wearing an ensemble similar to her cartoon counterpart, complete with the red bow headband. She is also heard humming "With a Smile and a Song" from the film.
- Orgy of Evidence: Aside from the fingerprints, it's revealed the box holding Kathryn's heart was Mary Margaret's, stolen from her apartment, and the hunting knife used to cut it out is found hidden in the heating vent.
- Staging an Intervention: Since drinking Rumpelstiltskin's potion, Snow White has been getting really mean and unpleasant to the point that the dwarves confront her as a group. It backfires when she decides to go kill the Evil Queen.
- Taking the Bullet: In this case, it’s taking an arrow, but the idea is pretty much the same.
- There Are Two Kinds of People in the World: Implied by August: people who believe in magic on faith, like Henry* , and people like Emma who are skeptics and need proof. Ironically by the end of the episode Emma is willing to take things on faith after all (that Regina framed Mary Margaret) due to finding out from Henry via the storybook that one of Regina's skeleton keys fits the loft door.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: After losing her love of Charming, a side effect of the memory potion was turning Snow into a raging Alpha Bitch.
- Undying Loyalty: Even taking an arrow to the shoulder is no great loss for Prince Charming to help Snow not lose herself.
- Wham Shot:
- Rumple using Charming's hair, along with Snow's, to create the potion of True Love.
- Mary Margaret's empty cell at the very end of the episode, after she used Regina's skeleton key to escape.
- You Shall Not Pass!: Red Riding Hood pulls this on George's men to allow Charming to get away and find Snow White. It's satisfyingly badass and awesome, and of course she survives as well.
