TV Recap: Once Upon a Time 3-14 - The Tower

Well, that was a different twist on Rapunzel.  I'm not saying I didn't like it, just that they gave the story a whole new meaning.  And I like how they used it in Storybrooke as well.  And the ending?  Well, I'm getting a head of myself.  Let's start at the beginning, shall we?

And the beginning starts in Enchanted Forest of nine months ago.  And it starts with David (aka Prince Charming) going into a castle.  As he searches through it, he finds a room.  Inside that room he finds Emma's nursery, and then Emma as an adult all ready for her first ball.  However, soon the wardrobe opens and she is sucked in, but not before telling him that he failed her, but not to fail the next one.

Next one?

When David wakes up, Snow White is already awake and staring out the window.  At this point, she gives him the good news that she is pregnant.  After that dream, David is naturally a little worried.

So worried, in fact, that he goes down to the stable where he has a flask of alcohol stashed.  Robin Hood finds him there.  When David tells him of his fears, Robin tells him of a special Nightroot he's heard of.  Grind it up and drink it and you'll get over your fear.  Sounds good to David, so he sets out.

Anyone else seeing where this is going?

David arrives and finds the root.  He's just harvested some when he hears cries for help coming from somewhere nearby.  Investigating further, he finds a tower.  And, naturally, when he climbs up to the top, he finds Rapunzel.

She is a princess, and next in line to take the throne in her kingdom.  She fears she will not be the leader her parents are or her late older brother would have been, so she game to take some of the root.  As soon as she did, a witch appeared and locked her in the tower.  It's been years since she's seen anyway.  David offers to help her escape, but it's too late, the witch is coming.

David offers to fight the witch, but he can't.  All he manages to do is get the witch to reveal her face.  And it's…Rapunzel.  Rapunzel begs and pleads for David to help, but he can't.  Finally, he does throw himself and the witch out of the window, but the witch starts to climb Rapunzel's hair again.  Rapunzel cuts her hair and the witch is defeated.

David brings Rapunzel back to the castle where her parents are waiting with open arms for her.  Then David confesses his fears about actually raising a child to Snow, who reminds him that they will face this and figure it out together.

End flashback.  But how does this all play out in present day Storybrooke?  I'm glad you asked.

In their efforts to track down the Wicked Witch of the West, aka Zelena (at least in Storybrooke), the gang has decided to split up.  Regina is going to guard Henry (without revealing the truth to him) while David, Hook, and Emma search Regina's office for clues.

Regina gets to have a nice heart to heart with Henry in which he confesses that he thinks there is more to their trip to Storybrooke than a job for Emma since it means him missing school.  Emma is very careful that he not miss school.  Henry's guess is that this is about Walsh and the fact that Emma broke up with him (if he only knew how close to the truth he was).  Henry is a little disappointed since he'd like to have more than two place settings at the major holidays.  However, Regina tells him that she suspects his family will grow larger soon.

Meanwhile, David has found a clue back at Regina's office.  Crushed holly berries.  They grow in one particular spot outside of town, a fact he knows from his days at the vet clinic.  However, David can't follow up on it since he has to meet with Mary Margaret and their new mid-wife - Zelena.

Meanwhile, Zelena has gone to see her prisoner that she keeps down in the storm cellar - Mr. Gold.  He's spinning straw into gold, claiming it helps him relax, but he is clearly crazy.  Zelena reveals she has the dagger and shaves Mr. Gold with it, all the while talking about keeping up appearances.  Gold, crazy as he may be, isn't buying it, however.  Zelena does make one interesting comment about how in the land she comes from, your appearances reveal who you really are.  Might that be why she is green?  Envy for her half-sister Regina, perhaps?

Anyway, she goes to Mr. Gold's show looking for something and finds Belle behind the counter running it.  Zelena claims she is looking for something for Mary Margaret, but as soon as Belle turns her back, Zelena freezes her and then opens the safe and takes something out of it.

When David arrives at the loft, he finds Mary Margaret and Zelena already talking.  They chat a little, and then Mary Margaret suggests tea.  Zelena offers to make it instead.  While David expresses concerns to Mary Margaret that they have no idea who this person really is, Zelena is slipping some powder into his tea.  (We're never told, but I'm sure this is why she got from Gold's shop.)  They play with us as to whether he will drink it or not, but he does just as the meeting is ending.

He then heads out into the forest to try to catch up with Emma and Hook.  However, when he parks his truck, he feels someone is following him.  Certain it is the wicked witch, he calls Emma to let her know and then turns around to fight.  How fortunate that he had his sword with him.

Only, the thing he is fighting is himself.  Again, we are never told, but I'm sure it was Nightroot that he was given.  Why else have it in the flashback?  (And yes, they actually did reveal it first with David, although I was kind of expecting it).  David at first says he has no fears, but his witch self isn't buying it.  Finally, after his sword breaks, he confesses the same thing he told Snow in the flashback - he's scare that he won't make a good father.  With that said, he plunges the hilt from his sword into the being his is fighting, and it goes away.  The sword, however, vanishes in a cloud of green smoke.

Emma and Hook, meanwhile, have been tracking down the Wicked Witch's lair.  Along the way, they discuss what Hook's been up to during the last year - a subject he refuses to discuss.  They also talk about Emma's break up with Walsh.  She admits Walsh broke her heart, which Hook takes as a good sign.  It means that Emma still has a heart to break.

Then Emma and Hook find the Kansas inspired farm house we saw last episode.  They are looking around the outside when they find the storm cellar.  And it's locked from the outside.  Emma's about to shoot the look off when Hook convinces her to call Regina first for her magic.  Emma takes out her phone to do that and sees the voicemail from David.  They race back to help him fight the Wicked Witch.

Somewhere along the way, they must have gotten Regina, too, because when Emma's car shows up where David is, all three of them get out.  David explains what happened, but when they discover the sword is gone, Regina gets worried.  She explains that David's fears have gone into the sword, and if the Wicked Witch has it, it is a powerful weapon, at least symbolically.

And we switch to Zelena and Mary Margaret saying goodbye.  Zelena looks in her massive purse, and there is the hilt of David's sword.

However, for the final scene, Emma, David, Regina, and Hook return to the storm cellar.  Only this time, the lock is broken open.  All four of them go inside (no one stayed back as a look out?).  Regina comments on how she can feel the presence of dark magic.  And then they find the cell, again with the lock broken open.  And inside?  The spinning wheel and gold.  They draw the only conclusion there is to draw - Rumplestiltskin is still alive.

End of episode.

Again, I really want to know how Rumple is still alive.  Did he know die because he plunged his own dagger into his heart?  That's my first guess.  But then how did Zelena capture him and his dagger?  It looks like next will be a fairly Rumple centric episode, so hopefully that questions will be answered.

And maybe we'll find out what has happened to Neal.

I must admit I hadn't given much thought to where Hook was during the last year.  I guess I had assumed like Emma that he was out swashbuckling somewhere.  But now I'm very curious where he's been this whole time.  Hopefully, they'll find that in for us as well.

I want to mention again my theory that Zelena is green because she is envious of Regina and in Oz all your inner most thoughts are reflected in your outward appearance.  I could be wrong on that, but I'm not sure what else that comment about appearances she made in the episode could mean.

So what is her end game?  We know she wants to take everything from Regina to make her suffer, but to do that, Regina needs to know what happened.  Why return people to Storybrooke and why erase their memories?  What exactly is her end game?  She's getting close to Mary Margaret for a reason, and that worries me as well.

Things are getting very interesting, and I can't wait for next week already.  So many great threads weaving together once again, and I just love how they pull it all off.

What about you?  Thoughts on what we saw?  Thoughts on my theories?  Theories of your own?  Hit me up in the comments and fill me in.