Season 1, Episode 22:
A Land Without Magic
Centric Characters: Prince Charming
Previous: An Apple Red as Blood | Next: Broken
August Booth: Luckily for us, you're not normal.
FLASHBACK! The Queen's guards take Charming from his cell to his second execution this week, but on the way Charming pretends to faint so he can catch them off-guard and escape. Unfortunately, he doesn't get far before running into a third guard armed with a bow. One of the first two guards catches up and tells his comrade to kill Charming, but the arrow fells him instead. The guard with the bow removes his helmet, revealing himself to be the huntsman. He frees Charming and explains that the Queen had gone to meet Snow White, and gives him supplies to go after them.
Henry is rushed into the hospital. Emma explains to Dr. Whale that Henry collapsed after taking a bite of Regina's apple turnover, but Whale can't find any evidence of food-related symptoms, poisoning or otherwise. As the doctor fails to provide an explanation for Henry's condition, Emma dumps out Henry's backpack for leads.
Emma: <sees the storybook among Henry's belongings and something clicks with her> Like magic.
Regina: WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!
Emma: HE'S SICK BECAUSE OF YOU! THAT APPLE TURNOVER YOU GAVE ME, HE ATE IT!!!
Regina: <horrified whisper> What? It was meant for you!
Emma: It's true, isn't it?
Regina: What are you talking about?
Emma: IT'S TRUE, ISN'T IT?! All of it.
Regina: <defeated> Yes.
Emma: I was leaving town! Why couldn't you just leave things alone?
Regina: Because as long as you're alive, Henry will never be mine!
Emma: He'll never be anyone's unless you fix this, you wake him up!
Regina: I CAN'T!
Emma: Don't you have magic?
Regina: <shakes her head> That was the last of it. It was supposed to put you to sleep!
Emma: What's it gonna do to him?
Regina: I don't know. Magic here is unpredictable.
Emma: So… So he could-
Regina: Yes.
Emma: So what do we do?
Regina: We need help. There's one other person in this town who knows about this. Knows about magic.
Emma: Mr. Gold.
Regina: Actually, he goes by Rumplestiltskin.
FLASHBACK! Regina angrily paces in her bedroom as the huntsman comes to give her an update on the escaped prisoner. Regina threatens to kill him for his failures but the huntsman promises to find Charming. Regina doesn't take him up on that, instead finding Charming herself via the Magic Mirror and teleports him into the Infinite Forest.
Charming runs around for some time before meeting Rumplestiltskin, who tells him that the only way out is by magic. Charming tries to decline but Rumplestiltskin lures him back by magically stealing his mother's wedding ring. Rumplestiltskin enchants the ring to lead Charming to Snow White but refuses to hand it over without striking a deal. Charming tries to attack the sorcerer, who summons a sword of his own and the two fight, but Charming is no match for the most powerful magic user in the world and ends up on the ground and at the wrong end of his own sword.
Charming: What's that?
Rumplestiltskin: Why, you and your True Love to be together, of course.
David meets Mary Margaret as she's leaving Granny's and apologizes for everything that's happened between them, and tells her that all he knows is that he loves her.
David: Because Kathryn put a down payment on an apartment in Boston. She's not gonna use it. But I am. Unless you give me a reason to stay?
Mary Margaret: David. I can't.
FLASHBACK! Rumplestiltskin shows Charming his bottle of True Love.
Rumplestiltskin: Well, not so much as you perhaps, but not so little as you might think.
Charming: You? You love someone?
Rumplestiltskin: It was a brief flicker of light amidst the notion of darkness.
Charming: What happened?
Rumplestiltskin: She died. That's the thing about True Love, dearie, it can slip through your fingers. It's the most powerful magic in the world, the only magic powerful enough to break any curse. It must be protected at all costs.
Charming: I don't understand. What exactly is it you want me to do?
Rumplestiltskin: I want you to help me protect it. By putting it in a safe place for me.
Rumplestiltskin: Let's just say… I'm saving it for a rainy day.
Emma and Regina go to Gold's pawnshop, where he already knows why they've come. Gold explains that the answer to their predicament is- what else- True Love.
Regina: <stunned> You did?
Gold: Oh, yes. From strands of your parents' hair, I made the most powerful potion in all the realms. So powerful, that when I created the Dark Curse, I placed a single drop on the parchment. Just a little safety valve.
Emma: Well it's storming like a bitch. Where is it?
Gold: Where it is isn't the problem. Getting it… is what should worry you.
Regina: Enough riddles. What do we do?
Gold: You do nothing. It has to be Miss Swan.
Regina: He's my son, it should be me!
Gold: All due respect, but it's her son. And it has to be her. She's the product of the magic. She must be the one to find it.
Emma: I can do it.
Regina: Don't trust him.
Emma: What choice do we have?
Gold: That's right dearie, what choice do you have?
Emma: Where is this magic?
Gold: <to Regina> Tell me, your Majesty, is our friend still in the basement?
Regina: Oh you twisted little imp! You hid it with her?!
Gold: Oh no no no no not with her. In her. I knew you couldn't resist bringing her over.
Emma: Who is "her"?
Gold: Someone you should be prepared for. Where you're going, you're gonna need this.
Gold: Your father's sword.
Emma and Regina visit Henry at the hospital before they go to the impending Boss Battle. Emma apologizes for not believing him sooner and hides the storybook under his pillow before leaving Regina to have some time alone with him. All Regina can say is "I'm sorry", before Jefferson emerges from the shadows. He tells her that it's about time she made good on her end of their deal, but Regina scams him, saying that since Emma didn't fall under the sleeping curse their deal is nullified. Through Jefferson's Tranquil Fury, Regina taunts him that she's resting assured knowing that despite how much he wants to do it, Jefferson doesn't have it in him to kill.
Emma goes to August's room to get his help, only to finally see that he's turning to wood, and the transformation is almost complete. Before he dies, August assures Emma that she can do this.
Emma and Regina meet out in front of the clock tower and Regina lets them into the closed down library it stands upon. Inside, Regina places her hand on a mural and it lifts to reveal a steampunk elevator hidden behind. Regina explains to Emma that the elevator is hand-operated from the top, so she has to stay up top while Emma goes down to face the mysterious thing alone.
Regina: An old friend.
Emma: Then why don't you go down and talk to them?
Regina: Because her punishment here was different than everyone else's. I trapped her. In a different form. She doesn't want to hear from me. You have to trust me on that.
FLASHBACK! At her palace, the sorceress Maleficent is confronted by Charming who demands to know where the resident monster is. Maleficent introduces herself in response and with a wave of her hand blows out all the candles, somehow darkening the room despite the massive window behind her. Charming searches around for the sorceress before hearing growling and turning to see that Maleficent has transformed into a gigantic dragon.
Reaching the bottom of the elevator shaft, Emma steps out into an enormous cavern. Before her is a glass coffin which she examines. As she steps back to take it all in, Emma bumps into something big and scaly which awakens and rises up to it's full, massive height and spews a jet of fire into the air: Maleficent, now a dragon full-time.
FLASHBACK! Charming hides behind a pillar as Maleficent breathes fire all over the place. As she looks around for him, Charming notices a set of fins at the back of her jaw.
Emma ditches the sword and fires her gun at the dragon but it's a No-Sell.
FLASHBACK! Charming runs up some stairs to the landing overlooking Maleficent's throne room.
Emma runs from Maleficent, jumping behind some rocks as she spits some more fire.
FLASHBACK! Charming jumps from the landing onto the dragon's neck, causing her to flail about and crash into the walls trying to dislodge him.
The outcropping Maleficent stands on breaks and she plunges into the chasm below.
FLASHBACK! Charming slams the egg into the fins on Maleficent's head before dropping to the ground.
Emma looks down into the pit to see if the dragon survived.
FLASHBACK! As the dragon charges at Charming, he runs to the huge window and smashes through it, falling into the sea beneath.
Maleficent launches back out of the chasm, causing Emma to fall back in shock.
Mary Margaret reads the story of Snow White and Prince Charming to the comatose Henry. As she finishes the story, Mary Margaret starts to talk to Henry when the nearby machines start to beep wildly. Dr. Whale and a squad of nurses quickly arrive and find that Henry's heartrate is falling.
As more hospital stuff rush about to help, one nurse heads down into the restricted psych ward where he delivers a cup of tea to the woman at the front desk. She passes out soon after taking a sip, and the the camera pans up to show that the nurse is actually Jefferson in disguise. He swipes the keys from the front desk and heads back to the cells. Passing a cell labelled "S. Glass", Jefferson opens the cell of the young woman no one had ever visited.
Woman: Who are you? W- Why are you doing this?
Jefferson: My name is Jefferson. And I need your help to do something that I can't. There's a man. His name is Mr. Gold. Find him. All you have to do is tell him where you've been, and that Regina locked you up.
Woman: Okay, what?
Jefferson: It's very important. Mr. Gold's gonna protect you but have to tell him Regina locked you up. He's gonna know what to do. You understand?
Woman: Yes, I- I have to find Mr. Gold.
FLASHBACK! Charming reaches the shore where Rumplestiltskin is waiting with the enchanted ring and a horse.
Rumplestiltskin: <shrugs> I'm a fan of True Love, dearie. And more importantly, what it creates.
Emma fires a few more rounds at the dragon and it's just as effective as it was before. As her gun runs out of ammo, Emma spots the discarded sword and realizes that it's now her only shot at saving Henry. Maleficent blasts more fire as Emma runs for the sword. As the dragon rears, Emma throws the sword and hits it square in the throat, and with a screech Maleficent bursts into embers, leaving a golden egg in the ashes.
FLASHBACK! Charming rides across the land, following the enchanted ring until he arrives at Snow White's glass coffin, surrounded by the dwarves.At his request, the dwarves remove the coffin's lid so Charming can give Snow one last kiss. A wave of magic ripples out from them and Snow White awakens. Charming shows Snow the his mother's ring, explaining that it led him to her before he uses it to propose to her. As they embrace, Snow reminds Charming that they still have to deal with King George and Regina, but tells him that they will do so together.
David, having finished packing for the drive to Boston, takes one last look at the Storybrooke clocktower before beginning his journey.
Emma rides up the elevator, egg and sword in hand, when it stops unexpectedly. Mr. Gold calls down that Regina's left her to die and broke the elevator to boot, and asks her to toss the egg up to him so she can have an easier climb up. Emma complies only for Gold to instantly leave, and when Emma reaches the top of the shaft she finds Regina Bound and Gagged and very angry that Gold played them. They start to give chase before both their phones ring with calls from the hospital.
They arrive at Henry's hospital room only to meet Dr. Whale and Mother Superior outside it, who tell them that Henry has died.
Back at the pawnshop, Mr. Gold finds the key to the golden egg and opens it, taking the potion of True Love from inside. He hastily hides it away as someone enters the shop. Gold starts to tell the person that the shop is closed before he turns and is stunned to see the face of the woman he thought to be dead.
Woman: I was told you'd protect me.
Gold: <tearing up> Oh yes. Yes, I'll protect you.
Woman: <confused> I'm- I'm sorry, do I- do I know you?
Gold: No. But you will.
Emma and Regina both break down. Emma goes to Henry's side and kisses him on the forehead. A wave of magic courses out from them and Henry wakes up to Regina's awe. The wave of magic rushes over the whole town as the Dark Curse is broken, restoring every townsperson's memories, including David just before he crosses the town line.
Henry: The Curse. I think you broke it!
Mother Superior: That was True Love's Kiss.
Regina: No, no!
Mother Superior: If were you, your Majesty, I'd find a place to hide.
Regina: Henry. No matter what you think, no matter what anyone tells you, I do love you.
David, back in town, spots Mary Margaret across the street.
Mary Margaret: Charming.
Back at her house, Regina goes into Henry's bedroom and hugs his pillow as she weeps.
Mr. Gold leads Belle through the woods.
Gold: No no, we're very close.
Belle: Rumplestiltskin, wait. I- I remember. I love you!
Emma asks Henry why the Curse breaking didn't send everyone back to the Enchanted Forest, but he doesn't know. Suddenly, a nurse drops a tray as she stares at something out the window.
From her home, Regina looks outside and sees Gold's purple smoke, now a great storm cloud sweeping over the town.
Emma and Henry watch the storm coming.
Henry: Something bad.
Gold explains to Belle that he has brought magic to Storybrooke.
Belle: Why?
Gold: Why? Because magic… is power.
Regina knows this as well, and gives an Evil Grin as she watches the storm.
David and Mary Margaret hold each other as the storm engulfs them and wraps around the clock tower as it strikes 8:15.
Tropes
- Anguished Declaration of Love: Regina to Henry after the Curse lifts. Desperately assuring him that she does love him despite him (and Emma) being sure she doesn't.
- Arc Words: As August had also noted from the plaque, Gold claims the waters of the wishing well can "bring back what was lost" (in this case, magic). Since this phrase was additionally used by Abigail to explain how Frederick could be restored, this implies the well carries the last of the waters of Lake Nostos.
- Back for the Finale: The Huntsman in the flashbacks, Belle in the present day, and Maleficent in both.
- Barehanded Blade Block: Rumplestiltskin, of all characters. Against Prince Charming. And he does the two-fingered version. And given what we know about his power, he did so because he thought so too.
- Batman Gambit: Remember that True Love potion that Rumplestiltskin made in the Enchanted Forest? He then had Charming hide it in Dragon!Maleficent. In Storybrooke, he calls on Emma to retrieve it and uses it to bring magic to Storybrooke. How does he get her to do this? By revealing he used a drop of it on the Curse scroll, thus making her the Savior who could break it, then claiming if she recovers it for him she can use it to restore Henry.
- Book Ends: In the pilot episode, the clock strikes 8:15PM when Emma arrived in Storybrooke. In this season finale, the clock strikes 8:15AM when magic has been returned to Storybrooke.
- The first episode begins with Prince Charming awakening Snow White with True Love's Kiss. This episode ends with Emma kissing Henry in farewell after believing he was dead and breaking the spell on him and on the rest of Storybrooke.
- The Chosen One: Lampshaded rather amusingly by August.Emma: No normal person can do this.August: Luckily for us, you're not normal.
- Couch Gag: The title card features Mr. Gold's magical storm.
- Description Cut: In the Enchanted Forest, Rumple speaks to Charming of being a fan of true love "or rather...what it creates." Cut to the Savior Emma, battling against Dragon!Maleficent.
- Enemy Mine: Emma and Regina. And a very tenuous one of course, since as Emma says, Regina is only alive because she needs her to save Henry. "If he dies..."
- Eye Awaken: How Dragon!Maleficent reveals herself to Emma.
- Foreshadowing: Prince Charming waking Snow White from her cursed sleep is related twice during the episode, once in flashback and once by Mary Margaret reading to the unconscious Henry ... then Emma breaks both the same curse on him and the one on Storybrooke with True (Maternal) Love's Kiss.
- Gonna Need More X: Inverted when Charming is tasked to hide a giant egg containing bottled true love within "the belly of a beast".Charming: Where is the beast that reigns over this castle?
Maleficent: That would be me.
Charming: I'm gonna need a smaller egg. - Heroic BSoD: Emma after believing Henry is dead.
- Kubrick Stare: Emma is first in wide-eyed shock after realizing the Curse is real, then shifts into one of these when Regina walks in.
- The Magic Comes Back: Rumplestiltskin uses his bottled Power of Love to bring all magic into Storybrooke.
- Mama Bear: With Henry in a coma, Emma decides that enough is enough and outright attacks Regina for everything she's done. Also, the fact that Regina is willing to work with Emma in order to save Henry's life.
- Manly Tears: Mr. Gold's eyes well up with tears when he first sees Belle, who he had thought was dead and when he finally holds her, he's weeping.
- Dr. Whale seems to be crying outside when everyone thinks Henry's dead.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: The apple turnover that Regina baked for Emma was eaten by Henry instead, nearly killing him. But because of this, it led Emma to believing in the Curse and eventually freeing everyone from the Curse and retrieving their memories.
- Nothing Is the Same Anymore: With the breaking of the Curse and restoring everyone's memories, the whole nature of the show (contrasting the characters' Enchanted Forest selves with their modern ones) and the characters' interactions changes completely from now on. The fact that despite this they're all still in Storybrooke both downplays the trope a bit (something is still the same) and true to it, since even the unchanged thing plays into the story in a different way now that they all know their real identities.
- Now Do It Again, Backwards: Unusual example, in which at the same time the Enchanted Forest flashbacks show Charming facing down Dragon!Maleficient to hide the potion of True Love in her belly, the action intercuts with scenes in Storybrooke of Emma also facing down the dragon (with her father's sword, no less) in order to retrieve the potion, thereby undoing what Charming did 28 years before.
- Oh, Crap!: While this is Emma's reaction in general once she finally believes the Curse and magic are real, there is also the specific moment when she finds out from Regina that Mr. Gold is Rumplestiltskin. Whom she owes a favor. And she knows what that means from his fairy tale.
- Regina lets out a Little "No" as she realises saving Henry also broke the Curse on the town, and everybody remembers who it was that cast it.
- Requisite Royal Regalia: Charming's fancy clothes he wore when he woke Snow was given by Rumplestiltskin.
- Shipper on Deck: Rumplestiltskin is a fan of true love. He has his own reasons, of course.
- True Love's Kiss: Emma's kiss on the comatose Henry's forehead not only revives him, but restores the townsfolk's memories.
- Unstoppable Rage: Emma is furious at Regina over her mistake.
- Vertigo Effect: When Emma finally starts to believe in the Curse.
- Wham Episode: The townsfolk have their memories restored, Jefferson releases Belle and leads her back to Mr. Gold, and Mr. Gold brings magic to Storybrooke.
- Wham Shot: The episode ends with one—the purple cloud of magic washing over Storybrooke, Snow and Charming embracing on the street, while Regina watches from her window and smiles nastily as she knows what this will mean for her regaining power.
- World-Healing Wave: Emma brings this about when she gave a farewell kiss to Henry and not only revives him but breaks the Curse on Storybrooke.
- Young Conqueror: Snow and Charming decide to take back the kingdom from Regina and King George.
