Sunday, November 10, 2013

Once Upon a Time 3.07: "Dark Hollow"

“You came to Neverland on a pirate ship through a portal but you draw the line at a magic coconut?”
- Neal

Everyone is pretty excited to head back to Storybrooke this week and I must admit I’m one of them. We jump back in time five days (has it really only been that long that the Charmings et al have been in Neverland?) to Belle saying goodbye to Rumple. He gives her the cloaking spell and she imparts to the rest of our town populace (namely the dwarves, Mother Superior and Archie) that she’s got to enact the spell and they need fairy dust. In a bit of a race against the clock, the dwarves start mining for dust while two guys in a red convertible zoom towards town. Rumple was right that Pan would send more people. Unfortunately for the townsfolk, the guys get in just as the barrier closes. Back in Neverland in the present, Rumple gives Ariel instructions to find Belle and give her a shell. Once she’s completed her task and returned, Regina will tell her where to find Eric.

Pan realizes that someone has left the island but he lets the boys in Storybrooke handle it while he goes to have a chat with the other cage dweller. I’m interested to see who it is. I’ve heard some theories so we’ll see if they’re correct. He goes to take Henry for a little stroll but Henry takes off, saying Pan is messing with him and he’s going to find out why. Something tells me Pan is going to orchestrate Henry finding whoever is in that second cage. Back at their own camp, Neal explains that they need to capture Pan’s shadow to get them off the island. So while he, Emma and Hook go off in search of the shadow which is conveniently not attached to Pan, Snow and Charming go find Tinkerbell to make sure she’ll still stick to her end of things. Snow is still furious with Charming and she’s not too happy that Emma takes Dad’s side. Snow warns Emma to be careful with Hook and Neal since things could get hinky with the two of them having feelings for her. They head back to Neal’s hidey hole and find the coconut which is not a star map but a way to trap Pan’s shadow in Dark Hollow (lovely sounding place).

In Storybrooke, Ariel arrives to find a bunch of the dwarves lunching by the seaside. But they aren’t alone. Upon the docks our two spies see the arrival. They have their orders: don’t let Ariel leave town. Belle’s pretty bummed out that Rumple didn’t need her help and she’s turning down Granny’s cheeseburgers. She doesn’t thinks he really did anything by enacting the protection spell but Grumpy begs to differ once he introduces her to Ariel. Belle is thrilled that Rumple needs her help. She and Ariel head back to the shop where she figures out that the shell is a message (think Star Wars Episode IV) and Rumple explains that the strength of his and Belle’s love will show her where to find what he needs to defeat Pan. She realizes it’s the chipped cup and it reveals a hidden trap door with Pandora’s Box in it. Unfortunately, just as they discover it, our two Pan boys show up with guns drawn. They tie Belle and Ariel up and demand to know what the box it and they give our ladies a shocker. They know they’re working for Pan and their missions is clear, stop Rumple from succeeding.

Back on the island, Charming tries to apologize to Snow but she’s still being stubborn as they trek through the forest looking for Tink. And Pan puts whatever plan he’s concocted into motion by sending Felix off and Henry follows. But the real drama is on its way to Dark Hollow. Hook tells Emma that he told Neal about the kiss (after Neal is kind of snarky about his cutlass and storms off to go cut through some jungle). Hook proclaims his intent to fight for Emma and his intent to win her heart after she succeeds in rescuing Henry. Love triangles can be an interesting plot device but this is just so not cool. Emma doesn’t need this amount of drama in her life. She needs to work through her pain and emotions with Neal and try again. Don’t get me wrong, Hook is sexy and capable of being a good man but he’s not the right man for Emma. I understand they are kindred spirits but she doesn’t have feelings for him.

Back in Storybrooke, Belle and Ariel manage to get free by Ariel gaining her tail back and knocking them over. But they need to move fast before the Brits destroy the box with a pick axe. Meanwhile, David and Mary Margaret finally have it out in Neverland. David was scared she’d want to stay with him and he didn’t want to put that on her. She says she would have gladly stayed if he’d told her. And the threesome drama continues in Dark Hollow. Neal explains they’re going to light the candle in the coconut and once the shadow is drawn in by the flame, the put the top and trap it. Too bad the guys choose this particular moment to show off and lose the lighter. And then Pan’s shadow and a couple friends show up and nail the guys to trees (yeah that came out wrong…sorry). Emma taps in to her emotions and lights the candle with magic and manages to trap Pan’s shadow and save the guys from being soulless shells. Neal’s a little worried about Regina teaching Emma magic (dude needs to get over it).

Meanwhile, Belle and Ariel stop the guys from destroying the box and things are more complicated. They’re actually John and Michael Darling and Pan’s kept Wendy captive for a century. They do his bidding or else he’ll kill her. Belle promises that if they get the box to Neverland they’ll defeat Pan and save her. I knew it. This is going to seriously throw a wrench into the Neal/Emma rekindling now that he’s got another girl to worry about. But Ariel gets back to Neverland with the box and passes Belle’s message on that they need to save Wendy. Pan takes Wendy out of her cage as Henry follows Felix. Something tells me they’re going to be seeing each other real soon. Wonder how she’ll react to knowing Bae has a son. Henry finds Wendy and she spins a story about being sick because magic is dying. And she knows he’s Bae’s son and that Bae would do anything for her family.

Henry is heading back to camp when Pan finds him and explains that Henry can save magic and Wendy and everyone if he just believes. Yeah it can’t be that simple. Nothing ever is. And my shipper heart breaks even more because as Neal tries to apologize for the screw up with the lighter, Emma snarks at both of the guys that she chooses Henry because that’s all she has room for in her heart. She really needs to accept the fact that Neal is her true love and move forward. It’s not like he’s not going to be around since Henry is important to both of them. But Neal seems to be trying to do as she wishes. And it seems Tink is pretty happy to see him. Now they need to join forces with Regina and Rumple to kick some ass and save their son.

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