TV Recap: Once Upon a Time 4-7 - The Snow Queen

It seems like right now, when we get answers, it just leaves us with more questions.  And I still have no idea where this storyline is going on Once Upon a Time.  The friends I watch with expect me to have all the answers already, or at least some, but I just plain don’t.  So please share some speculation with me so I have some ideas I can work off of next week.

As always, we’ll start with the flashback, which focused on Ingrid.  We saw her discover her powers when she saved her two younger sisters from a man who intended to kidnap them.  She accidentally froze a branch and it fell on him.  She is horrified, but her sisters are grateful and in awe.  They take a ribbon from the kite the man had used to lure the girls to him and each take a piece.  It is proof of their bond and their sisterly love, and they will never take it off.

Years later, Ingrid hides out all the time, afraid of others discovering her powers.  This even holds true at an event of state for her father’s 70’s birthday.  She does sneak out at one point to watch from the sidelines, but when snow starts to fall around her, she leaves.  In fact, she intends to pack up and flee the kingdom, but her sisters talk her into going to see Rumpelstiltskin to try to get some help.  Rumple offers them the gloves we know from the movie and the vase that trapped Ingrid for so long in exchange for their ribbons.  He does say that love is the strongest magic of all, but Ingrid won’t listen and insists they give up their ribbons.

Back home, Ingrid is surprised by her middle sister’s boyfriend, the Duke of Weselton.  He tries to kiss Ingrid telling her she is the one he loves, but she pushes him away, revealing her magic.  How this is where the middle sister comes in and hears the tale.  She instantly believes Ingrid and tries to get the Duke to leave.  He won’t leave, and he keeps threatening to reveal the secret.  Ingrid gets mad enough that she lashes out, and accidentally hits her sister with her powers, freezing and killing her.

The youngest sister walks in and instantly figures out what happened.  Despite Ingrid’s pleas, she traps Ingrid in the vase and then goes to see the Rock Troll.  He agrees to erase everyone’s memories of the two older sisters, but he warns that the truth always comes out and that magic comes with a price.

Obviously, with Ingrid traps, this ends the flashback.  But what happened in Storybrooke?

Belle has found an ancient Elvish spell that should trap Ingrid or at least her powers.  It’s a candle that Emma needs to light with her magic and then blow on the Snow Queen.  She practices it once on Elsa, and the two talk about how, when you have powers, your family can see you as a monster.  Emma claims it has never happened to her.  Then she heads off to pick up her younger brother Neal for some babysitting.  Mary Margaret has been at a Mommy and Me class hosted by Cinderella (so nice to see her again!) and including Sleeping Beauty.  That was a fun little moment.  Anyway, as they are all standing around talking with Emma holding the bottle of Neal’s milk, it starts to bubble.  Mary Margaret is obviously upset, but before anyone can say anything, Emma gets a call from David.  They’ve found Ingrid in the clock tower.  Emma rushes out, uses the candle, and captures Ingrid.

Down at the sheriff’s office, Emma questions Ingrid (after banishing Elsa who is just demanding answer on where Anna is), but Ingrid isn’t really giving answers.  Instead, she is obviously leading Emma to where she wants Emma to be, which is good and mad.  She even freezes the locks on the sheriff station doors so no one can get in to interrupt them.

Yes, you read that right.  This spell that is supposed to trap her and neutralize her powers isn’t actually stopping her.  And when Belle comes to take a look at the mirror that Ingrid installed in the clock tower, she realizes it is a fake – not at all like the one she saw last week.  She, Elsa, David, and Hook quickly realize that Ingrid wanted to be captured, so they rush out to warn Emma only to see the doors frozen shut.  Their next stop is Gold’s place where they ask Gold to help them.  Henry has started his new job there, so he comes along as well.  Somewhere along the way, they also pick up Mary Margaret.

Meanwhile, Ingrid has finally gotten the better of Emma, who loses her temper and accidentally uses her powers to blow a hole in the wall.  At that point, Ingrid magically removes the cuffs and walks out the hole in the wall.  A stunned Emma follows, and that’s when everyone rushes up.  Emma, horrified at what she does, warns everyone to stay away.  Hook reaches out and touches her.  She jerks away, and her reaction sets off sparks coming from multiple lights which also causes a light pole to fall, almost crushing David.  Mary Margaret gives Emma the look – the “You are a monster” look – and Emma flees.  The rest try to find her, but no one can, and Mary Margaret berates herself for how she reacted.  David observes that Ingrid doesn’t need that mirror – they are already turning on each other.

Meanwhile, we got a little sub-plot with Regina and Robin Hood.  Robin shows up in Regina’s crypt confused about his feelings still.  Regina doesn’t want to hear it.  Essentially, she tells him that he needs to fall in love with his wife again and Regina needs to get over him.  Neither of those will happen if they keep spending time together.  Regina and Henry then have a scene together where we learn the two are still trying to figure out who wrote the “Once Upon a Time” book, and Regina promises the next time a chance for her happy ending comes along, she will seize it.

Robin’s talk is with Will Scarlett.  I was wondering when the two would meet since Will was one of the merry men until he betrayed Robin.  Will does apologize for that, and we are left with more questions about his love and what their status is.  (Really, is it that hard to tell us?  This Once in Wonderland fan is dying over here!)  But Will also shares with Robin what is was that kept Marian with Robin – she saw something good in him, and she worked every day to love it and keep it growing.

You might think that would help send Robin back toward Marian, but it doesn’t.  He once again seeks Regina out in the crypt and tells her that, while he is noble, true, and all that kind of stuff, right then, he isn’t paying attention to that side of him.  The two then start to kiss.

Which just leaves us with our final scene.  Ingrid shows up at Gold’s shop.  She wants the ribbons she and her sisters had traded all those years ago back.  Gold isn’t sure she has anything he wants, but Ingrid assures him she does.  She knows the last thing that the hat needs to free him from his dagger.  They make a deal, Ingrid will control the town while Gold will take over the world.  She then leans in and whispers what it is to him.  We don’t hear it, but Gold lights up when he does.  “That won’t be hard at all.  It will be my pleasure.”

Questions?  I’ve got a ton.  We can start with what Gold needs to do to get unlimited power and freedom from his dagger.  Of course, since magic always comes with a price, what might that price be?  It sounds like he might have to kill someone, but Regina is the only person that springs to mind he would be so delighted to kill.  And what is his past connection with Ingrid outside of what we just saw in this week’s flashbacks?

Why can Ingrid control her powers now while Elsa and Emma are having such a hard time?  Surely there is a secret there she could share with the two she wants as her sisters.  Of course, that would also defeat her driving them away from everyone they love.

The love in Frozen and talked about here is definitely the love of one sister for another.  How might that free Marian?

What will her family do to prove to Emma they don’t think of her as a monster?  Will Ingrid’s plan to drive a wedge between them really turn Emma evil, even if briefly?

I really do feel like I should have a theory or two at this point, but I don’t.  So, what is your theory about where things are going?  Where will things go from here?  How are they going to defeat Ingrid while still setting up the back half of the season?

Next week, we get two hours, so hopefully we will get a few new answers.  Who knows, they might even give us enough pieces to put together a working theory or two.